Love: Its Purpose, Temptations, and Consequences
by SolidSapphire1018
Summary: Amaya Tucker, daughter of alchemist Shou Tucker, survives true horrors within her family and risks her life to save her sister Nina. Follow her story as she meets Edward&Alphonse Elric, searches for the Philosopher's Stone, and saves the State from war.
1. First Impression: Friend or Foe?

I stared out the window of my room, watching, waiting for the alchemist to show with his brother whom my father, Shall Tucker was supposed to be training for the State Alchemy Exam. I didn't really care about what went on in my house anymore, as I didn't really leave my room. My spine just didn't want to heal. Four years I'd been contained in my bedroom, and I hated it. I wanted to travel and have adventures. I wanted to get out, and I wanted to fall in love. As I looked out my window, I saw Colonel Mustang walking with a short kid, sadly, probably two inches taller than me, and…a suit of armor?

"Maya," I heard my father call, "aren't you going to come welcome our guests?"

"Sure father, I'll be there in a minute," I replied.

I then heard the door to my bedroom open. I turned to see Nina, my adorable little sister, standing there. "Are you coming Sissy?" she asked in her little baby voice. I smiled and sat up from my windowsill. Then I followed her outside to where the Colonel stood with Edward and Alfonse Elric. It seemed as if our dog Alexander had already made Edward's acquaintance. He had Edward pinned to the ground and was looking up at Nina and me with his tongue hanging out.

"You know that's bad Alexander," scolded Nina, whom was holding onto my hand with one of her little ones and holding the door open with the other. My father appeared behind us both and immediately started apologizing for our dog's behavior.

"Alexander, come here," I ordered, gently but firmly. Alexander jumped up from Edward and raced toward Nina and me. He sat down by my feet, and I patted his head.

Edward seemed to have just taken notice of me, as did Alfonse. I saw them stare at me up and down and tried to think of something else so I wouldn't blush. I turned to go back into the house with Nina and my father. Again, he started apologizing for the books and papers that were scattered all over the place. I heard him mention that we've lost a woman's touch around the house, and it got me thinking about my mom.

"Sissy?" Nina asked, pulling on my sleeve. I snapped back and saw her looking at me, worried.

"It's nothing Nina," I assured her. She didn't like it when I spaced out like that. She knew I was thinking about our mom. She was pretty smart for a four-year-old.

Nina suddenly let go of my hand and went up to Alfonse.

"Daddy, Bigger Brother's clothes are funny. They're like our pots and pans. Aren't they heavy?" she asked as she stared into the suit of armor's…helmet. Alfonse laughed.

"Don't worry, Bigger Brother is very strong."

Alfonse looked at my father and then looked embarrassed. I turned and saw my father gazing at the suit of armor. I cleared my throat rather loudly, and he snapped out of it when he saw me looking at him.

"Mr. Tucker, I'm sure you'll have a chance to talk to these boys about their unusual traits. Until then, please take them as they are." said Mustang.

"Maya, why don't you take Nina to play in the courtyard for a while?" my father suggested to me. I rolled my eyes and took Nina by the hand as she whined. She didn't want to leave Alfonse's side.

"Don't worry Nina, it's just something that us girls can't handle," I said with a little spice in my voice. I couldn't help it. I didn't like being kept out of things. I was the same age as Edward, and yet I couldn't know about this stuff, just because I was a girl._ "If Dad is so worried about being sexist all the time, why does he always make me leave when he gets on the subject of alchemy or his stupid experiments?" _I thought, frustrated. However, I just walked out into the courtyard with Nina and sat on the porch while she ran around with Alexander.

When I saw a shadow to my left, I looked up over my shoulder to see Colonel Mustang. He looked down at me. "You look well," he said, half the curve of a smile on his lips.

I looked back at Nina again, folding my knees up to my chest. "Not as well as I should be," I replied.

Mustang sat down next to me on the porch. "It could be a lot worse."

"You think I don't know that?" He didn't say anything, and so I continued. "I just want to be able to do something besides sit in my room and read all day. Don't get me wrong, I love reading, but I want to do something more. My life has gotten so boring. My father won't even let me study alchemy."

Mustang rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands in front of him. He looked so tall, scrunched up on the porch. "I think he's just gotten a little overprotective," he said. "You did almost die, you know."

I nodded. "I know, but I should have healed by now. I should be able to play with my sister or take my dog for a walk without getting exhausted."

He placed a gloved hand on my shoulder. "You'll get your adventure soon enough," he said. "Just wait until you're finished growing up first, alright?"

I smiled, though I wanted to roll my eyes. Roy Mustang could be an ass sometimes, to everyone, but he always knew what to say. "Why'd you bring them here, Roy?"

He smiled at the informality in which I spoke to him. "Figured you could use some friends, Maya." Then he patted my shoulder and stood up. "Send word if you ever need anything from the military."

I snickered. "Yeah, alright, you guys will definitely be the first ones I call." Both of us had bits of sarcasm in our voices. However, he and Hughes probably would be the first ones I'd call if ever in trouble. I smiled and saluted Mustang as he went back into the house to leave out the front door.

"Nina, promise me that you'll be all right out here alone?" I called to her. "I want to go to the library to get a book. I'll be right back," I said. Nina nodded, I walked back inside and to our large library, which had so many books to read on alchemy. I stopped at the door when I heard other people walking my way. I hid around the corner and saw my father lead the Elrics to the library, to start their studies for the state exam. I waited for my father to leave, then went into the library myself. Alfonse turned and saw me. Edward seemed to be too enveloped in his book to notice anyone else had come in. I tried not to stare at Edward as I walked to the aisle I needed. I had to admit that he was pretty damn cute.

"Hi there…uh…Maya is it?" asked Alfonse, trying to start a conversation.

I spared him of the tension that seemed to already be there. I smiled, "Yes, that's right. You must be Alfonse."

"Please, just Al, and it's nice to meet you," he replied.

I nodded and returned to finding the book I wanted. However, my curiosity got the best of me. "How long have you two been studying alchemy?"

"Since we were little kids," answered Edward, speaking for the first time. I peeked around the shelf and saw him looking back at me with the book he was reading still open in his hand. "And you?" he asked me.

"Since about two years ago," I replied. I didn't want to tell them the whole story of why I started studying alchemy. It was just based on a theory, and a theory it still remained. I didn't know, yet, if I was right. I found the book I was looking for, _Alchemy: Its Purpose, Its Temptations, and Its Consequences_.

"So, you know the rules of-" Alfonse started.

"Equivalent Exchange, yes," I finished for him.

"Then you must know how-" he started again, and I finished for him again.

"Your soul was attached to a suit of armor and how Edward lost a leg and an arm? Yes, you both tried to perform human transmutation. You tried to bring someone back from the dead." They both looked away from me. Edward's expression looked pained. I felt sorry for him at that instant, but I wondered,_ "Whom were they trying to bring back?"_ "I suppose I'll leave you to your studies then," I said, looking away from them.

"You're like us too," Edward said. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Your bandage isn't sticking too well; I can see it through your shirt," he said, gesturing to the long white bandage that went down my back. I glared at Edward.

"I would never try to bring someone back from the dead. Yes, my spine is auto mail just like your arm and leg, but not for the same reason," I snapped. It went against the laws of nature, science, and religion to bring someone back from the dead. I left the library, angry that Edward would even suggest that I'd be dumb enough to try to reverse the pattern of the deceased.

|| Dinner ||

It was pretty silent. I tried not to look at Ed or Al, and my father desperately tried to make conversation.

"So, Edward, have you made any progress with your studies?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I've got to speed up; there's so much I don't know," Ed replied.

I tuned out of what my father said to that and looked to my right, out the window into the darkness outside. A lot of things flashed through my mind. I thought about the library, my sister, my mother, Edward…_"Whoa, wait a minute. Maya, get a hold of yourself. He's an accusing jerk of an alchemist that thinks too much of himself."_

"Maya?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. My father was looking at me, and so was everyone else. I suddenly felt my cheeks burn.

"Yes Father?" I replied, pretending not to notice that the others were staring at me.

"I was just going to tell Edward that maybe he could show you a few things, as you've been wanting to learn alchemy for a while now," he said, smiling as best he could.

"But, she told us that-" Edward began, but I kicked him underneath the table. I made sure to hit the leg that wasn't auto mail. He winced and glared at me. I shook my head ever so slightly, a silent plea, telling him not to tell my father what I'd told him earlier that day. Edward cleared his throat and turned back to my father. "She told us that today," he said.

I relaxed and told him a silent "thank you" with my eyes. He nodded slightly. My father actually seemed to take no notice of the suspicious behavior and kept talking. This was when Nina took notice of Al not eating.

"Bigger Brother isn't eating any of his dinner!" she exclaimed. Al looked as if words had failed him. "That won't do, you need to eat to get grown up!" Nina explained to him. She handed Al a piece of bread. He tried to decline, but something made him stop and take the bread anyway. I continued to look at my sister.

She was too adorable.

|| Edward ||

After Maya's father had stopped taking interest about Maya and turned to talk to Al, I began to rub my leg.

"_Damn it, that hurt!" _I thought to myself. Nina had started to fret about Al not eating. I looked up and attempted to glare at Maya. However, I saw that she was staring at Nina with what looked like admiration in her eyes. A small smile played onto her lips, and something made me drop my grudge. "_Her father must not know that she studies alchemy. Why wouldn't she want him to know?" _I pondered that thought.

I couldn't help but look back up at her. Her smile was simple, yet still pretty. There was a gentle elegance about Maya. Yet, I couldn't help but think that she was hiding something. Then again, so was I, from a lot of people. Most thought that Al's body was just a suit of armor, until they opened it to find nothing inside but a transmutation circle.

|| Later: Amaya ||

I was holding Nina in my arms. She had fallen asleep in my lap as she watched me read a book. Something made her watch my eyes move as I studied.

**"Nina, why do you watch me like that?" I asked when I felt her climb onto the little couch that rested in the library and sit next to me.**

**"You look calm when you read," she answered. I put my book down by now and given Nina a weird look.**

**"And why does that interest you?" I asked her, truly curious.**

**"You've been so scared about your back lately, and when you read it's like all the worries go away," she smiled up at me. I knew she adored me. She's said she hoped to be like me when she grew up. I carried her into her room after she fell asleep, just down the hall from mine (down the opposite way was where Ed and Al were staying).**

And now, as I sat down on Nina's bed, with her still on my lap so I could undo her braids, I looked outside at the moon.

I longed to be on the other side of it, away from this condemned place, on my own adventure. I couldn't help but envy Ed and Al. After they're done training and studying, who knows what they'll get to do and where they'll get to go?

I sighed as I finished undoing Nina's braids and placed her into her bed. I kissed her forehead and placed her hair bands on her dresser as I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

"Is she the only reason you stay here?" a voice asked me. I turned to see Ed, leaning against the wall. His red coat was off and so were his gloves. I tried not to look at his exposed muscles as I thought of a response.

"I'll be honest with you," I decided. "If it wasn't for Nina, I would've left this place two years ago, when my mother left."

Ed looked a little surprised when I told him my mother had left us.

"Your mother…left?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, so my father says. She didn't like being poor back then, so she went off to live with her parents," I said bitterly. "It doesn't make sense to me, but I guess she didn't want to at least take her children with her."

It was silent once again. I looked away from Ed at the floor as I tried to hold back the tears. I could feel his eyes burning a hole inside me.

"Why didn't you want him to know?" he finally asked, referring to what happened back at the dinner table.

"My father gets angry when I express the idea that I want to learn alchemy; he says a girl my age shouldn't be concerned with it, that girls shouldn't learn it at all," I spat.

"Well that doesn't seem right," said Ed.

"You think?" I asked sarcastically.

Just by the way he looked at me; I could tell Ed was trying to, for lack of a better term, figure me out. I couldn't deny that I did keep a lot from people. I didn't have any true friends, and I always had looked after and cared for my sister. After my mother left it was like someone had ripped out the friendly part of me. My relationship with my father had definitely gone to the dogs, and there were times when I thought about running away. Then I would look at Nina and think about what would happen if she were left here alone with my father.

"I can help you if you want," Ed suddenly muttered. I looked back up at him.

"_Is he talking about what I think he's talking about?" _I thought. "What do you mean?"

He leaned off the wall and took a step closer to me. "Alchemy," he whispered, getting close to my face. I stared at him for a moment. I had been right when I'd observed him outside my bedroom window, earlier that morning. He was about two inches taller than me. I'd also been right in the library. He was even cuter up close.

I whispered back, hoping no one else was there to hear me. "You would teach me?"

"Well, not teach exactly. I could just help you out a little bit," he said.

For the second time today and in a long time, I really smiled. I threw my arms around him. "Thank you, Ed!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could, trying not to wake anyone. It took me a moment to realize what I'd just done. After blushing, I awkwardly pulled away from him. Ed still had the look of surprise on his face when I backed away.

"Um…you're welcome," he finally choked out.

A silence took place then, and I could feel the red on my cheeks. Ed seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"Well…I guess I'll see you in the morning," I said quietly.

"Yeah…good night," he replied, still appearing to be thinking hard. He walked back to his room as I walked down the hallway to mine.

"_He's going to help me learn alchemy! Finally, I might be able to take Nina and get out of this place! Once I learn to fight for myself I can finally go on my own adventure!"_ I thought, excitedly. I changed into my pajamas and climbed in my bed. As my head hit the pillow, I was able to fall asleep and dream of leaving this town and exploring the other wonders that the world held, waiting for me.

For the next few months, Ed and Al studied hard in the library, learning all they could about taking the state alchemy exam. Ed taught me all sorts of things that I could do. He taught me how to draw a transmutation circle, so I could really practice my alchemy. We began to grow closer to each other. I became good friends with Al as well, and so did Nina. The times we spent with the two brothers in the library were really something to remember. Most of the time it was work, but sometimes it was just pure fun. I couldn't remember ever laughing or smiling so much before. I'd finally found people that I could truly call my friends.

There was one day when Nina came in with a camera and took pictures of the four of us. She had placed them in a small book, which I now kept in my top dresser drawer, except for one of them. It was of Ed and me. I kept this one in a frame on top of my dresser. We were both sitting on the floor in the library with books surrounding us. Nina had made me get really close to Ed. So I was behind him, hugging his neck with my head on his shoulder.

We were both smiling. I wished that every day of my life could be as carefree as that day was.

But life isn't that fair.


	2. A Mystery Lies Within the Truth

I was in the library next to Edward. We were sitting, again, with a circle of books around us. I suddenly jumped as I heard the clock strike.

Edward looked up, "Man, is it that late already?"

"I guess so," I smiled at how soaked in reading Ed and I had been.

"Al!" Ed called for his brother and looked around the library while I started to put all of the books back where they belonged. "Where is he?" Ed asked himself, turning back to me.

I finished clearing up the books and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he-" I was cut off when I heard Alexander barking loudly from outside.

"Let's hope your dog didn't think he was a hydrant," Ed said as he walked toward the door. I followed him, giggling at his small, yet very possible, joke. Ed opened the door to my very large house. Outside, sat Nina, Al, and Alexander. They were sitting in the snow.

"Brother, come look!" exclaimed Al.

"Sissy, we made snow angels!" Nina told me. It took Ed one second before he leapt into the snow with them. I smiled at them playing together.

Ed stopped laughing, "Aren't you coming Maya?" he asked, confused as to why I was still standing on the porch. Nina had stopped laughing as well. She looked at me with what seemed to be pity, which was something I didn't like. My smile disappeared; I was going to tell Ed, but someone else beat me to it.

"She can't Ed," said a man's voice. We all looked over to see Major Maes Hughes standing before us, as tall and proud as ever, wearing his deep blue military uniform.

"Hello Major," said Ed, happy to see him, but still confused about me.

"Major Hughes!" I shouted, running off the porch to hug my old friend. He knelt down and hugged me back gently. He must have been reminded of my back.

"How you doin', Maya?" he said after he let me go, probably referring to my spine.

"Great, I'm getting better, one day at a time," I assured him. Hughes had always been, well, not a father to me, more like a silly uncle.

"That's good; we all want you to get back to your old rebel-self," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I laughed, remembering all the dangerous things I used to do.

"She used to sneak off at night and worry her parents half to death," he told Ed and Al. Nina already knew this, of course. I remembered how she used to get mad at me for making our mom and dad worry so much. I tried not to remember the one night that changed all of that.

Ed laughed, "Is that so?" he asked playfully, "I never saw you as the rebellious type."

I blushed, "Oh, I can be pretty reckless," I said, also smiling. The tension of the subject of why I couldn't play in the snow had passed, along with the subject itself. I was thankful for this.

"Well Major, why are you here?" I asked, turning back to Hughes.

"Well, I couldn't let Ed study through his birthday, could I?" he laughed.

"That's right; that's today!" remembered Al.

I spun right back around and looked at Edward, "Why didn't you tell me your birthday was coming up?" Ed had told me many things about him, but never – and I just realized this now – when his birthday was.

"I guess I just never thought about it," he said. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Well, we would like to throw a birthday dinner for you, my beautiful wife and I," said the Major. Nina looked discouraged that Ed and Al were going away for the day, and I was kind of down too.

"Don't be sad; you're all coming," said Hughes. Nina brightened up immediately. I did too.

"We couldn't throw a birthday party for Ed and not invite his friends," the major spoke as if the very idea of it was insane.

|| Ed's Birthday Party ||

I stood, holding Nina's hand, next to Ed and Al. I wore my favorite jean skirt with a simple green t-shirt with my hair up in a messy bun. Major Hughes came out with his wife, whom you've met before, but haven't seen since before she was pregnant. She was very far along, I could tell. Ed and Al didn't have any trouble pointing it out, either.

"Your stomach's a melon!" Ed yelled. Nina and I began to giggle.

"Yep, any day now," said Mrs. Hughes. "Do you want to feel it?"

Ed and Al were totally disgusted at the idea, but Nina and I were definitely excited to feel the baby. We each placed a hand on Mrs. Hughes' stomach. For a second, nothing happened, but then I felt a small _bump_ against my hand.

Nina exclaimed happily, "I felt it! It moved!"

I smiled at Mrs. Hughes. I couldn't wait for the baby to be born.

We all sat down at the dinner table, and while we talked with Mrs. Hughes about her baby and what it was like to be pregnant, Ed spoke to Major Hughes about me.

|| Edward ||

I looked up from my dinner plate. Maya was sitting diagonal from me, in a conversation with Mrs. Hughes. I took my chance now. "Hey Hughes, there are a lot of things I still don't know about Maya. Care to clear them up for me?" I asked him quietly.

Hughes stopped eating his dinner and said, "What would you like to know?"

I thought about it for a moment. "First of all, what happened to her mother?"

Hughes leaned toward me and spoke quietly. "Two years ago, she left. She didn't like that they were poor, and she went to go live wither parents. Go figure, very soon after that, Maya's dad got all the money from the chimera he made, and he became a state alchemist."

I was confused. "That's what Maya told me, but it just doesn't seem like something a mother would do," I said.

The major glanced at Maya with pity in his eyes, "Yeah, well not every mother is as wonderful as yours was. Even now, Nina tries to write letters to their mother, but she never replies. Maya gave up a long time ago," he said.

I could hardly believe it. What mother would leave her children alone, without her? How could Maya's mother have left her in her condition? I wondered how long of a time had already passed between the time that Maya got an auto mail spine and when her mother left. This formed my next question.

"Major," he looked back at me, "what exactly _happened_ to her back?"

The major sat quiet for a moment. After heaving a sigh, he spoke again. "Do you remember what I said about Maya being reckless back before her mother left?"

I nodded, remembering the events of earlier that day perfectly. I remembered seeing Maya's smile disappear the moment I'd asked her to play in the snow.

"There was one time that she snuck out that ended very badly," he said.

I began to listen intently.

"Maya was going to meet her friends at a local park, but when she never made it and didn't answer her phone at home, her friends got worried." Hughes paused for a moment, gathering his words. "Fortunately, her friends did the smart thing and went to her house to see if she was there. When her parents discovered that she wasn't in her room, they called the police." The major's fist tightened as he explained what happened after that. "Throughout the night they searched. I remember when Maya's mother called us, so worried that she was crying. I went with the police, and at around four in the morning, we found her."

I didn't want to know what happened next, but at the same time, I did. "You act like it's a bad thing that you found her," I said.

Hughes continued, again. "She was laying on the sidewalk, far from the park and even farther from her home, soaked in blood with her back sliced open and part of her vertebrae removed from her back, nearly dead."

Major Hughes shuttered. When I imagined Maya's body, lifeless, blood soaked, and mangled, I shuddered too. I put down my silverware. Suddenly, I didn't feel like eating anymore. I couldn't. I felt sick to my stomach.

"So, we got her to the hospital as fast as we could. The doctor had an engineer help him with placing the auto mail. She had to get four units of blood as well. The surgery lasted thirteen hours, and, as you're probably aware, Maya could hardly take the pain of the auto mail being attached to her nerves."

I was shocked. "They didn't give her any anesthetic?"

Hughes shook his head, solemnly. "She had to remain awake in order for her nerves to stay active. The most they could do was numb her so she couldn't feel them cutting her skin. We could hear her screaming from down the hall." He began to shake his head with sorrow. "Then, finally, it was over. She was in recovery, and after a week and a half, she passed physical therapy and came home. She's been healing ever since, but she's still not able to do many things that she wants to do, like playing in the snow, for example. I honestly think it was because of how crappy a job that engineer did. She needs something better, an upgrade."

I listened as the major finished his story. When I looked over at Maya, she was smiling and laughing, and her face was flushed. I tried not to imagine her pale, weak, and screaming in agony as the auto mail was attached to her nerves. The image haunted me. "Major?" I asked.

"Three days," he stated, without hesitation.

"What-" I started.

"It was three days after that, that Maya's mother left," he said gravely.

I stared at him in surprise, both because he'd answered the exact question that I was going to ask, and because I knew that something wasn't right. Even if Maya's mother wasn't perfect, it was obvious that she was really worried about Maya to begin with. She wouldn't have left three days after her daughter went through a major surgery and almost died. No, that just didn't add up. I was going to find out the truth.

|| Amaya ||

I could feel Ed looking at me. Why? What was he trying to figure out? Or worse, what did he already know? My thoughts were cut off as I heard Mrs. Hughes speak to her husband.

"I think we've got our number one babysitter right here," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure we do," Major Hughes agreed. He smiled gently, with pity. I swallowed nervously. He was thinking about the accident.

I blushed, "Oh, you both know what plans I have; I can't stay here that much longer."

"You're just desperate for an adventure, aren't you?" asked the major, swirling his glass of tea around in his hands.

"You bet!" I laughed, hiding the sick feeling in my stomach.

Mrs. Hughes got up, "Anybody want more birthday tea?"

No one refused to that, and Mrs. Hughes came back with the jug of tea…

"Gracia!" Major Hughes exclaimed as Mrs. Hughes tumbled to the floor.

"Honey, it's here," she choked out.

At first, the major looked confused, "The tea?"

Mrs. Hughes' expression hardened, "The baby!" she growled.

Hughes freaked out. "What? But the doctor said next week!"

This didn't help Mrs. Hughes, "Well the baby says now, and I think she gets to choose!" she growled again.

Major Hughes continued to freak out as he started running around the house, grabbing all of Mrs. Hughes' stuff.

"Major; the snow! She can't go out in that!" I said, gesturing to the blizzard outside.

The major decided to bring the doctor there himself. Ed and I led Mrs. Hughes to the couch. She lay down, and I put a blanket over her. I knew somewhat of what to do.

"Ed, go get a tub of hot water," I ordered.

Ed ran out of the room and came back a moment later with a steaming tub of water and a washrag. Nina took it and tried to calm Mrs. Hughes down.

It wasn't working too well. "I can't do this! I'm dying!" she strained.

Ed and Al started freaking out. I didn't know how much longer Mrs. Hughes could take before she had to get that baby out. I waited a few minutes, but Mrs. Hughes' contractions were getting worse.

"Sissy? The water's very cold," said Nina.

"Ed, can you heat up the water please?" I asked.

He walked toward the bin and heated it up using alchemy…_without_ a transmutation circle.

I stared at the bin, and my eyes moved from it to Edward. "How in the hel-" I stopped yourself from cursing for my sister's sake.

"I don't know! I just used my head!" Ed said, staring at his hands.

"Well, never mind that now!" I shouted over Mrs. Hughes' moans of pain.

You forgot about the cursing rule, "Damn it, she has to get this baby out now!" I said. Ed and Al, of course, freaked out again. "Would you both just shut up and do what I say?" I screamed.

They stopped and stood still, realizing how dumb they must look.

"Al, switch places with Nina and keep trying to calm her down! Ed, go get some more towels, we're going to need them! Nina, go watch for Major Hughes and the doctor!"

They all did as I told them. Ed came back with the towels, "You might want to stand somewhere else," I warned him, referring to the fact that Ed was in full view of Mrs. Hughes giving birth. He immediately went to stand on the opposite end of the couch. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hughes was still screaming her head off. "Gracia! You've got to calm down and work with me here!" I ordered her.

She stopped whining and listened to my soft commands. "Just push," I said gently but forcefully, lifting the blanket to make sure the baby came out okay.

Mrs. Hughes screamed as she pushed the baby out. I began to see the head and told her to push more. It seemed to take forever, and I grew worried about the fact that you may have to cut the cord yourself, which wasn't a good idea when you don't have the proper tools for it.

"It's okay, you're doing great," I said, "one more big push okay?"

Mrs. Hughes nodded furiously and let out one big scream as she was able to push the baby all the way out. I held it in the towels that Ed had brought and wiped off all the blood. I was relieved when the baby started crying. Just then, Major Hughes came in with the doctor, who took over from there. I went to stand by Edward; a towel in my hands to wipe them off.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked me, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Who do you think helped with Nina?" I replied, smiling at Mrs. Hughes as she held her beautiful baby girl in her arms.

"Thank you so much Maya, I really couldn't have done it without you, all of you," she said, looking at Ed, Al and Nina.

Major Hughes drove us back to our house, still thanking me for delivering his and Gracia's baby.

"You're welcome Major." I smiled. "It was nothing; I'm just glad that she's healthy," I said as I followed Al and Ed back to inside the house. I waved goodbye to the major as he drove away and turned inside the front hall. "Well…that was exciting, wasn't it?" I asked them playfully.

"Oh yeah, definitely the best birthday I've ever had," said Edward with a lot sarcasm in his voice.

I laughed and walked up the stairs to get to the bedrooms. My father didn't appear anywhere, which didn't bother me that much. I actually felt relieved that he wasn't creeping around the house alone, waiting for me to get home.

After tucking Nina in, I walked out of her room and saw Ed standing outside his bedroom door, just like the first night he was here. He didn't look happy.

"Why didn't you tell me about your back?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me about your birthday?" I asked, half joking.

"Maya, I'm serious," he said.

I sighed, "I know, but I didn't know if I could trust you. I'd just met you after all," I said.

"Well, you know me now, about as much as Al does so no more secrets. Kay?" he said, walking up to me. He was really close, just like that first day. And just like that day, I blushed.

"Okay," I said. Ed turned to go back to his room, but I called to him again. "Ed?" Edward turned back around to face me. I ran to him and threw my arms around him. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear, "for everything."

At first, he hesitated, but then he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me there. I got used to feeling his arms around me and began to nuzzle my head into his shoulder, but I caught myself and let go.

"Good night," I blushed as I spoke.

"Night Maya," Ed turned back to go to his room, and I thought I saw him blush as well, before he opened the door and walked in.


	3. E Day

More weeks had past since Ed's birthday. He and Al were getting more and more into their studies. I had to make sure that Nina left them alone more often. I could tell that both of them were getting nervous as E-day, as we called it, drew ever nearer.

"It's always the same; first; the written test, second; the interview, and third; the practical exam," explained my father to Ed and Al, who sat at the table with him. I sat on the floor, rubbing my sleeping sister's back while she lay on top of Alexander, who was also asleep, in front of the fireplace.

"There's no way to know how many will apply, but the state only accepts one or two each year," he said.

Ed couldn't believe it, "One or two? You're kidding me!"

Al seemed a little nervous, "Uh, what kind of stuff do they do in the interview?"

My father did his best to explain, "Well, for me, they only asked questions. But I've heard that every one is different. Sometimes they may do a full physical," he said.

This worried Al. What would happen if they opened up the suit to examine him and found nothing inside but a red transmutation circle? They would let neither him nor Ed be state alchemists if they knew what they'd tried to do when they were younger. It goes against everything that alchemists learn, despite the fact that they have enough power to do it. Equivalent Exchange was the term. You can't gain anything, without losing something else. Most alchemists remained away from that sort of science as much as they could.

"If you pass the first two, then you move onto the hardest part; practical skills," my father continued. "Half of the people show their research like I did, and half of them perform on the spot. You two have a plan, right?"

I glanced at Ed and Al, and by the looks of their facial expressions, they did not have a plan.

* * *

The day of the exams finally arrived. I stood outside the auditorium where the written test was given with Nina and Alexander, waiting for Ed and Al to come out. I was pacing, nervously, anxious and dreading to hear what the results were. When the two of them finally walked out of the auditorium, neither of them looked too confident.

After a moment of looking at their solemn faces, I asked, "How did it go?"

Ed answered first, "I didn't finish, and my wrist feels like it's going to fall off," he said.

I looked at Al, hoping for a better response. I didn't get much of one.

"I got through it, but next is the interview," he said, very nervous about the possible physical examination.

We waited for the time of the interview to arrive. I sat with Ed and Al on the grass while Nina kept Alexander busy.

"There's got to be a way," Al muttered.

Just then, Colonel Mustang came up to the three of us. His expression was hard, and I almost rolled my eyes at the fact that, as dear of a family friend he was, he never friggin' smiled! He asked to speak with Ed and Al. They followed the colonel, and I remained behind to watch Nina. A few moments later, they came back. Ed didn't look happy.

"Al can't continue with the exam, otherwise they'll find out about our past and what we did," he said.

I glared at Mustang. He just stared at me for a moment and turned to walk away. I got up and followed him.

"You didn't think he was going to pass the written exam, did you?" I asked, angry that Mustang would put Al through all that work, just to destroy his hopes. Mustang didn't answer, but kept walking. I didn't follow; I knew that he'd had doubts in Al and decided not to advise him to not take the exam.

The time for the interview seemed to come too fast. Al, Nina and I remained outside and waited for Ed. He came back out, not long after, and he was done for the day. The next day was the practical exam. Most of my time the rest of the first day was spent in the library. Nina watched me read until after the sun had set.

"Sissy, I need to do something. I'll be back in a little while," she said, sliding off my lap.

"Okay Nina," I said, watching her skip out of the library.

The door opened again, about a minute after she was gone, and Ed walked in. He saw me, sitting on one of the small sofas that were placed near the windows and walked over and sat down.

"Hey," he said quietly. He seemed to be quite interested in the floor.

"Hey," I said, closing my book and looking up at him.

Ed sighed, and I felt bad for him. He looked so stressed with all this pressure being put on him.

"You shouldn't worry so much. Do you really think Al's going to hate you if you don't pass tomorrow?" I asked, leaning more towards him. He looked the other way and didn't respond.

I heaved a frustrated sigh. If he didn't want to talk about it, then why was he here?

"Alright, obviously you don't want to talk about this," I said, opening my book again.

He looked at me with frustrated eyes, but they softened soon enough.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous," he said, seeming very interested with the floor again.

I rolled my eyes and pulled his chin up so that he faced me.

"Edward Elric, read my lips," I said, and I spoke with my words spaced out, "you're…going…to…pass."

I smiled, and so did he. I let go of him and leaned back on the sofa again.

"You think so?" he asked, blushing a little, probably from me being so close to him before.

"I know so," I encouraged him.

Just then, Nina came back with paper and her crayons. She saw that Ed was here and walked over to a table and sat with her back facing us. I knew what she was doing. She normally did this when she was making a surprise for me. It was silent between the three of us. I continued reading my book, Ed watched me read, which made me blush, and Nina drew her picture without a word.

* * *

The clock struck eleven, and I looked up from my book in surprise. I turned to Ed and saw him quickly turn his head so that it looked like he hadn't been staring at me. I saw Nina, asleep on the table. I got up and walked to her. Just as I was about to pick her up, I remembered that I couldn't without her help. She was too heavy for me to lift on my own.

"I'll carry her," said Ed, walking next to me. I nodded and let him pick Nina up from the table. I gathered all of her things that she'd brought. A piece of paper was rolled up, and I unrolled it and saw that Nina had made a drawing for Edward. She drew him, sitting on the library sofa. I was sitting next to him reading a book, and his face was turned toward me. Nina had painted a smile on his face and rosy cheeks, a blush, on mine. I figured she'd want to give it to Ed herself, so I rolled it back up. I followed Ed upstairs to where all of our rooms were, and opened Nina's door for him.

"Just sit her up in the bed so I can get her braids out first," I said, while I put away all of her things and put the rolled up piece of paper on the stand next to her bed.

"Okay," Ed said, placing Nina on his lap and sitting on the bed. I sat opposite him and started taking out Nina's braids. A tear fell from my eye and rolled down my cheek. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Maya, what is it?" Ed asked. I was a little surprised at how much he sounded like he cared.

I sighed. "How long will it be before I can carry my sister to her bed? How long will it be before I can play in the snow? How long will it be before I can finally get out of here?" I responded, wiping away another tear.

Ed stayed silent; he didn't know what to say. He was thinking, hard. I finished taking out Nina's braids, and Ed laid her down. We each left her room.

"Maya," Edward stopped me from walking the opposite way to my bedroom.

I turned, "Yes Ed?"

He took a few steps and stopped right in front of me. These close interaction moments seemed to be happening more and more often. "Well, I don't know if your father would be too happy about it, but…" He trailed off for a moment and looked down at the ground. I waited impatiently for him to continue. "My friend Winry, see, she's a really good engineer; one of the best I've ever seen. Maybe she could upgrade your auto mail. It'd heal way faster than the piece of crap you have right now."

I was amazed. Could this girl really speed up the healing process of my back? Would I be able to hold Nina again? Would I be able to have my adventure without worrying about the stupid metal in my back?

"She would do that for me?" I asked, bewildered.

"Well, if I asked her, I'm sure she would agree to it," he assured me.

I leaned against the wall, thinking it over. "Where is she from?"

"You'd have to come back with Al and I," Ed answered. "She lives where we used to live."

My excitement dropped a few thousand levels. "Ed, I don't think I can leave Nina behind," I said, skeptically. " I don't know if you've noticed, but our father isn't exactly the best dad in the world."

Ed was clearly confused, and the way he looked at me told me he was also angry. "What do you have against your dad?" he asked. "What did he ever do to you?"

I hesitated, "You don't understand," I said. "You don't know what I've been through."

"You think I don't know what you've been through?" Ed snapped. "My dad left and didn't even come back when my mom died!" He suddenly yelled at me.

Out of reflex of anger, I yelled back. "MY MOM DIDN'T LEAVE, ED!" I hadn't meant to say it. It just slipped out from anger and annoyance. I covered my mouth with my hand, quickly.

Ed's face suddenly softened, and he became suspicious. "What do you mean?" he asked.

I turned away, "Nothing," I said. I hoped he'd drop it. He didn't.

"Maya, tell me," he said softly, taking my hand.

I slowly turned back to face him, "Alright, but you have to understand, Edward. I love my father, but I don't think that he's the same man anymore," I said, solemnly. Ed nodded, urging me to continue.

I quickly looked around, making a quick decision. I led Ed down the hall to my room. I closed the door behind us. "I can't risk anyone else hearing," I said. "Promise me you won't try to fix anything between my family. We're already destroyed." I turned to Ed. He stood, taller than me, in my room. He took a look around before promising. So, I continued. "I remember the night my mother left," I said. "It didn't seem like she was going to leave at all." Ed was still holding onto my hand, and I held his in return. "I remember her tucking me in that night, and she seemed perfectly happy with our less than average lives. She gave no sign that she was ever going to leave us."

I looked into Ed's eyes, looking for any sign that he didn't believe me. Instead, I found pity and understanding. I didn't expect it, and I looked away. "I know it doesn't mean much, but, supposedly, she left that night. The next day was when my father finished the talking chimera." My voice cracked as I finished.

I felt Ed grow tense. "You think that your father…" he trailed off.

"Yes. I think my father turned my mother into a chimera," I said. A tear slid down my face, then another and another. "I mean, doesn't it make sense? The _very next day_ he had that talking chimera, and now, my mom never replies to Nina's letters!" I rambled on and on. "She never replied to mine! Is there any other explanation besides the fact that she never loved us, which was obviously not true?" I said, still crying.

Ed seemed to be at a loss for words. Of course, what kind of response do you make to something like this? "When did you first start thinking this?" he said, after a few moments of silence, in which I kept trying to wipe away my tears.

"When she didn't reply to the letters that I wrote her, that's when I had my suspicions," I said quietly. The tears were finally coming to an end. Then I realized how much I'd just revealed to Edward in the few short months that passed since he and Al had arrived. I blushed at how vulnerable I felt. Immediately, I tried to end the conversation.

"We should get to bed," I mumbled. It was sort of a rushed good bye after what I'd just told him, but what else could I say?

Ed, however, wasn't in that big of a hurry. "Wait, so you're just going to let this go? Haven't you ever looked around to see if there's any proof?" he asked.

"And what could I do or say if I was caught?" I replied with doubt.

Ed didn't answer, and I opened my bedroom door for him. "Good night Ed," I said, not looking at him. "And good luck tomorrow." I felt him pass me as he left my room, and I closed the door, leaving him alone in the hallway.

* * *

This was it; the day of the practical skills exam. We all were outside, ready to wish Ed good luck. I mumbled my hopes that he'd pass without looking at him. He mumbled his thanks in return and turned to go inside, but Nina stopped him.

"Big Brother, wait," she said. Ed turned back around and saw Nina, looking nervous.

I smiled a little as I remembered the picture that Nina had drawn in the library. "Go on, Nina," I encouraged her.

She walked up to Ed and handed him the drawing. "It's a circle to help your wish come true," she said, referring the transmutation circle that she'd drawn right above Ed and I sitting in the library. "And Sissy's there with you, too. She can make you smile."

Ed looked up at me, and I blushed madly. Then, he smiled. "See?" Nina exclaimed. "She makes you smile!" Ed thanked Nina and patter her little head. Before he went to finish the exam, he gave me one last look. I met his eyes for a moment and got the strongest urge to do something reckless again. However, I decided against it, and I just looked away.

Al, Nina, Alexander, and I waited for Ed outside. For some reason, I was particularly nervous today. I paced back and forth in front of the others.

"You should relax a little, Maya." Al said, suddenly. "I'm sure Ed will do fine; he's worked hard enough," I knew Al meant well, but his reassurance wasn't helping much.

However, I sighed and stopped pacing. "You're right, Al," I said. "He'll do fine." I sat down beside Al, who had Nina on his shoulders.

After a moment or two, we all saw a huge balloon-looking thing appear from behind the coliseum where the interviews and written exams were held. As we watched, the balloon suddenly began to fall. A hole had appeared on the side.

"That can't be good," I said, worried. Then, a bright light shone from behind the coliseum. I had to close my eyes for a moment, it was so blinding. After I opened them again, there were little flower petals floating all around us.

"Magic flowers!" Nina exclaimed, and she held her little hands up in the air, trying to catch some of the petals.

Immediately, I knew. "He did it!" I smiled brightly up at Al.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Al said back. Even though he couldn't physically smile, I knew he was just as relieved as I was.

We waited for Ed to come back, so we could all congratulate him.


	4. Love: Its Purpose

Shall Tucker stood looking out a window of his glorious mansion. He brushed aside the feelings of remorse and guilt that crowded his mind of the incident of the last chimera. This one would work. It would be perfect, and it would be younger; much more alive. The DNA would allow it to speak English, just like the last time. Plus, there would be a lot more tolerance for life inside this one.

Standing in the shadows next to the window, Shall watched his daughters play with the dog while they waited for Edward to return. He shook his head and sighed. "Which one?" he muttered to himself. There was Nina, who was young, spunky, but possibly not as ambitious as Maya. Maya was brave, strong, very ambitious, but very serious. She also didn't have a natural bone structure in her back.

"That can be taken out, easily," said Shall. "Maya, it is."

"Check it out!" Ed boasted as he showed off his new watch for becoming a state alchemist. I smiled, seeing it gleam in the sunlight. It _was_ pretty cool.

Just as Al was gushing over it, Alexander leapt up and grabbed the watch in his mouth. He started to run around with it, causing Ed to spring up and chase him. I laughed at the two of them as Ed yelled at Alexander to give it back.

My father walked out of the house. I saw him standing at the doorway out of the corner of my eye. After speaking, briefly, with the lieutenant who escorted Ed back here, he said, "So, to honor Edward's ground-breaking achievement, we're going to have a feast. What do you say?"

Ed and Nina were excited at the fact. I smiled, but on the inside I was bothered with something. I didn't know what it was, yet. However, I had the feeling it had something to do with my father. He glanced at me, and we locked eyes for a moment. I evaded his gaze and turned to Edward, instead.

Then I heard something interesting. The lieutenant gave my father news of his assessment day coming up and that the lieutenant colonel was looking forward to it.

"Yes, I'm sure he is."

My own father's response gave me the chills. His assessment day; what was that all about? What assessment would an old alchemist like my father be taking?

"_Oh, no_."

I began to put two and two together. Before my mother died, my father was having one of these "assessments". However, he used to brag about his research back then. He used to tell our family all about the things he was working on. He's never said anything about it now. If he wasn't already working on something…then he was going to start. I closed my eyes to keep the tears from flowing as I realized that soon I would have to take Nina and Alexander and _run._

At dinner, the topic of my father's assessment came up. I tuned out of the discussion, having barely touched my food already. I was too nervous to eat. I'd gone upstairs and grabbed some of Nina's things, and mine earlier today. It now sat on my bed, ready for me to grab it and go.

"Why don't you make another talking chimera?"

I gasped very quietly. Ed's suggestion had startled me. I pushed the plate in front of me away. Suddenly, I felt sick, and it only got worse when my father had promised us all that we would get to see the ending result.

"Maya, you haven't touched your food at all," said my father. "What's the matter?"

I looked up at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. A glare was so close to sneaking onto my face that I had to look away. "I'm not hungry," I mumbled. "Excuse me."

I pushed my chair back and noisily ran from the table.

I ran into my room and stayed there. The few hours that passed while I sat on my bed only felt like minutes. I wished it didn't have to come to this. I wished I could stay and that my father was a good, stable man. However, it wasn't a possibility anymore.

I heard Ed and Al go into their room with Nina, and a while later, my father passed my bedroom door as well. Finally, I got up and followed him to the boys' bedroom. I barely listened as he spoke about our old life with my mother. Reluctantly, I let my father carry Nina out of their room into the hall and to bed.

"What was that about, today?" Ed asked, looking up from a letter he seemed to be writing. "You didn't even eat."

I hesitated in answering, "I just wasn't hungry, that's all."

"That's bull, and you know it." Ed stood up from the desk he was sitting at. I couldn't tell if he was angry, worried, or offended.

"Look, I told you what I thought happened, and you brought it up anyway!" I snapped. It was true. I'd told him my suspicions of how my mother died. Had Ed even considered that when he'd spoken at the dinner table? No.

Ed was taken aback by my sudden anger. He hadn't realized what his words had meant until he started to remember everything I'd told him. Nevertheless, I stormed out of the room.

Tonight didn't seem like it was that big of an emergency to leave, but I checked Nina's bedroom to make sure she was still there. She was sound asleep when I peeked in the door. "_Good,_" I thought to myself.

I walked silently to my room and closed the door behind me. A little peg of guilt shot through me for snapping at Edward like that, but I shrugged it off. I was too tired to focus on anything right now. My bed welcomed me with cool, relaxing sheets. A good night's sleep was exactly what I needed.

"I'll put her to bed, father," I said as my father picked up a sleeping Nina and was going to put her to bed. He stopped and turned to face me. His eyes lingered on me for a moment, and he handed her to me. He helped me get a good grip on her and let me take her to bed. As my father walked downstairs, I ran to my room, instead of Nina's.

"Nina; Nina, wake up." I shook her a little until she was conscious in my arms.

"What is it, Sissy?" she asked, rubbing her little eyes.

My body began to shake as I spoke. "We're going to play a game, Nina." She tilted her head and almost refused because it was bedtime, but I convinced her.

"You're going to go hide somewhere in the courtyard and wait for me to find you. Okay? I'll have Alexander, too, and then we're going to go on a little…vacation," I explained in terms that a four year old could understand.

"Isn't Daddy coming?" She asked, knowing something was suspicious about my behavior.

"Daddy has a lot of work to do; he's going to stay here. It'll be just you, Alexander, and me," I said, smiling as best I could. "Won't that be fun?"

Edward and Alfonse left today. Guards of the Brigadier General escorted them out. Apparently, they had been snooping around; trying to find files on the old chimera my father had once created.

"**You can't go," I'd said as I gave Edward a farewell hug. I whispered desperately to him.**

"**I'm sorry," he'd whispered back. I could tell he really meant it. After finding some evidence out about the chimera, Ed had finally started believing me. He knew it was a bad idea to leave at a crucial time like this, but he really didn't have a choice.**

"**Come back for us," I'd begged. A tear had slid down my cheek.**

**Ed had begun to think fast. He'd hugged me a little tighter and said. "I will; we'll be back real soon." It was meant to sound like a pleasant visit would be made soon. However, both he and I'd known that it was a rescue mission in progress. I'd decided that tonight was the night. As soon as the boys left, there was no one to hear the chaos that could happen any night at our house. There was no one there to protect Nina and me anymore.**

Nina smiled and stood up from my arms. "Yeah! Where should I go?"

I laughed a fake laugh. "I can't tell you where to go, silly," I said. "I have to find you."

After Nina agreed, I stood up and took her hand. Together, we snuck downstairs and into the courtyard. It was a calm night, and I figured Nina would be fine. All I had to do was go back inside and grab the dog and the bag, anyway. Once Nina was hidden, I went back into the house, closing the door behind me.

The kitchen and hallways were dark downstairs. I made my way, slowly, to my father's study. My body shook with anticipation. I knew he wouldn't be in there, as he wouldn't be working on something this late. However, I still got the feeling I was being watched.

Quickly, I ran up the stairs and grabbed the bag from my room. Calling Alexander from his dog bed in the living room, I clipped a leash onto his collar and led him to the back door. As I opened it, I peered behind me to see if anyone was going to show up. No one. "_Good._"

"Nina!" I called out into the yard. "We have to leave, or we're going to be late!"

I saw Nina's figure come sprinting toward me. "I thought you were supposed to find me," she said, disappointed.

"I know, Nina, but we have to go now."

Just then, a thought struck me. I had to let Ed know where I was going. He still had made that promise about getting help for my auto mail-ed spine. Maybe I could get to the phone quickly and tell Major Hughes? He's trustworthy, and he could get the news to Ed in no time.

"On second thought, Nina, can you take Alexander and go hide again? I have to go do something, and then I'll come find you. We have a little more time than I thought," I explained, quickly. I was way too good of a liar. Then again, it's easy to fool a four year old.

Nina, becoming crabbier by the minute, took Alexander's leash and ran behind some trees in the courtyard.

Suddenly, the lights flashed on, down the hall. "_No,_" I thought.

Then, I ran. Slamming the back door, I bolted down the stairs and down the hall, past my father's study. I didn't care if he heard me, anymore. Now I just had to get away before he caught me. I couldn't get out the front door, go around the house to get Nina, and out of the front gates in time. He would spot us by then. Instead, I hid.

Behind the counter, in the dark, I sat not even daring to breathe as I heard footsteps near. So close they were to me. Right on the other side of the counter, my father stood. I saw his shadow from a light that shined from another room.

I sat, frozen, for what seemed like forever. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would go back to bed.

I heard footsteps. They were leading away from the counter. "_Thank God,_" I thought. As soon as the lights shut off, I crawled out from behind the counter and stood up, listening for any sign of anyone that could be there. Silence.

I ran to the back door and opened it. Peering out into the dark, I called, "Nina!"

A scream, now muffled by a strong hand holding a piece of cloth, exited my lips as I was grabbed from behind.

Edward and Alfonse Elric had finally gained their way back into the Tucker Mansion. Crossing the courtyard, Edward could've sworn he saw the shadow of a big clump of something in the bushes. Approaching it, cautiously, he came across a sleeping Nina. She was on the ground, holding a leash that had obviously been forced off of Alexander. His collar was still clipped to the end of it. Nina was in her clothes from the previous day, a little blue jumper with a purple shirt under it.

"Nina, wake up," said Edward, softly shaking the poor girl.

It took a moment for Nina to wake up, but once she did, she looked near tears. "Sissy never came to find me," she cried, helplessly.

Edward's expression changed from worry to confusion. "What do you mean she 'never came to find you'?"

"Sissy said that we were playing a game and that I had to hide. Then she was going to find me, and we were going to go on vacation," Nina said, tears streaming down her face now. "She…never…came back…for…me," she cried, through the streams of tears that now covered her face.

Edward and Alfonse did their best to calm her down. They promised that they would find Maya and make sure she had a good explanation for forgetting about Nina. Edward began to worry again. He had a hunch that told him they didn't have much time before something very bad was going to happen.

"Nina," Edward said, softly. "Did you see your sister at all tonight? Before you fell asleep?"

Nina rubbed her eyes and nodded her head. "Mm-hm," she mumbled.

"Where is she now, Nina?" Edward asked, his speech quick and slightly frantic.

"Daddy took her."

Alfonse stayed behind to look after Nina. Edward ran off, sprinting toward the mansion. The faster he ran, the better of a chance he would have of saving Amaya. "_Please don't be too late,_" Edward begged in his mind. He should've listened to Amaya's suspicions about her father. He should've been more protective of her and Nina. There were a lot of things that Edward should've done that he regretted not doing for Amaya.

Cages. Edward had reached a room full of cages that housed some sort of creatures. It was almost like a hallway. It was dark and eerie, with transmutation circles drawn all over the place in many different colors. They covered the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.

"You're a little early, Ed," came a voice from a room at the end of the hallway. A bright light shown out of it, as if dozens of candles were lit inside. Edward easily recognized Shall Tucker's voice.

"What do you mean?" Edward replied, suspiciously. He turned to see another room filled with more transmutation circles. Shall was standing in front of something that was in the middle of a newly drawn circle.

"I told you I'd let you see the finished result, but I'm not finished yet," Shall muttered. He didn't move from the spot he stood in.

Edward's hands began to shake. He knew what was sitting in front of Shall, but he didn't want to look.

"Ed," called a very weak voice. "Help."

I was blood-soaked. Alexander stood obediently by my side. I couldn't see well. My eyes were black and almost swollen shut. My lip was bleeding, and my hands had rope burn on them from being tied so tightly behind my back. I felt close to dying. My back was cut open, my auto mail removed. It would've done nothing but complicate the transmutation into a chimera my father had planned for. I imagined that the wounds would've done more to it, but my father just said that they would be healed during the change.

Every once in a while, Alexander would whine and lick my cheek, trying to help me feel better. It was no use. I was nearly dead, and I needed to get away.

"You bastard!" I heard Edward yell. In one movement, he tackled my father, who tried to fight him off. It was no use. Ed had him pinned against the wall. He was very strong when he was furious. It actually kind of scared me. Yet, I was also curious. Was Ed this mad just because my father had used _me_? Or was it just the idea of using any human being?

I snapped back into the conversation between Ed and my father.

"Don't try to rationalize this, you monster!" Ed yelled. "She's your own daughter, damn it! You're toying with people's lives!"

"Toying with lives?" My father's voice sounded smug. He cackled at Ed's words. "What, like your arm and leg, or your brother's body, or trying to bring your mother back? That's toying, isn't it? You don't really think you're any different from me, do you, Ed?"

I heard a collision of fist-to-face. That had struck a nerve inside Ed. He threw a mind-blowing punch at my father. I cringed as I heard the sound of my father hitting the floor. However, he just laughed again.

As Ed aimed for another punch, Al suddenly appeared and held him back and, asking, "Why, Mr. Tucker? The whole point was to pass the assessment and continue your way of life, but then your family would be gone. What life would be left?"

"That's the funny thing, I don't have a reason," my father replied, making Ed gasp in horror. "I can either do it with science or without, so I choose science, just to see if I can."

"What kind of man-" Edward began, but my father cut him off.

"When you have the power to do something, it's hard not to try. Isn't that what we agreed on, Ed?" My father began to push the limits again. "Aren't we so much alike?"

Edward gasped. "NO!"

"Sure, part of me did it for respect and this house, just as you did it for your mother," my father kept going, not listening to Ed's protests. His voice rose as he spoke, becoming more and more exhilarated. "But there's more! You're desperate to put your mind to use, Ed, to see what you're capable of, to put the world under your fingers! That's the essence of alchemy! You did it for knowledge; control! Above all, you did it just to prove you can!"

Another mind-blowing punch, Edward threw at my father's face. He screamed at him in protest to his words. He hit my father over and over, and even Al began to protest. I couldn't stand the sorrow in Ed's voice anymore.

"Ed, stop it!" I cried.

Through blurred vision, I saw him look down at me. I began to cry. My eyes were still locked on Ed's when he dropped my father. He approached me and knelt down in front of my crouched body. I couldn't hold on to consciousness any longer. My eyes were wide with fear, despite the fact that they were half closed, and my back was soaked with blood that began to leak onto the floor.

"Assaulting army personal? What the hell's going on!" came the voice of the Brigadier General. Ed almost ignored him as he brushed a loose piece of hair out of my face.

"Spare me, sir. He was going to use his own daughter."

I fainted at his words.

Awake. I was awake during the entire thing. More pain as the auto mail was reattached. No anesthetic; nothing. I screamed, screamed for my mother, for Nina, and for Edward.

"Sissy!"

It was Nina. She was here with me, at the side of my hospital bed with Alexander. She was waiting for me to just open my eyes, even a little bit.

I hugged her so close to me, and tears began to fall down my cheeks as I realized what could've happened if Edward hadn't shown up when he did. "Where's Ed?" I asked.

"I'll get him!" Nina exclaimed and ran out of the room. Alexander forced his head under my hand while she was gone, and I patted his fur softly. He licked my hand, affectionately. I looked around the room that seemed to be covered in white, as if I were already in heaven.

Edward came in, following Nina, who pulled him along with her. I smiled the best I could, but Ed didn't look at me.

"Nina, can you go ask one of the nurses if I could have some water?" I asked, smiling at her. She nodded and quickly left the room.

Ed still didn't look at me. I frowned. "Can you at least meet my eyes, so I can thank you?" I said.

His face perked up, and he glanced at my appearance, which had gotten better over the past week. My face had healed; we were just waiting for me to be able to walk and run, again.

It took three weeks last time.

"You saved my life," I said, taking Ed's hand in mine and holding it tightly. "I owe you…everything."

It took a moment for Ed to speak. "I should've listened to you in the first place, and I should've done something more to protect you."

I chose my words carefully. "You made a mistake. Everyone does, but you made up for it. You saved my sister, my dog, and me." It was my turn to look away. "I'd forgive you for anything, after that."

Ed took a seat in one of the chairs that rested by my bed. He still held my hand in his. I waited for him to say something, as it was clear that he wanted to.

"I've never met a girl like you."

My eyes widened a little, and I smiled to myself. "Is that a good thing?" I asked him, blushing a little.

"Yes and no," he replied.

My frown returned. "_Great,_" I thought sarcastically. I'd never really considered liking Ed like that. However, now it was kind of lingering in my mind. I wondered if he would try to make a move. Normally, it would be considered shallow to hit on a girl in a hospital bed who's probably on so much pain medication, she'd agree to being a purple penguin with demon horns, but I wouldn't have rejected if he just did _something_.

"I want you to meet the person who replaced your auto mail," said Ed suddenly. I didn't speak but only nodded my head. Ed went to the door and called a person named Winry.

I gasped and froze as a tall, slender, blonde girl walked in. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, though I felt sick on the inside. "_So this is why he doesn't have feelings for me,_" I thought, sadly. "_He had someone else back home, and now she's here._"

"Thank you," I said, truly grateful for the replacement of the auto mail. I blinked and looked away, though. "I'm kind of tired," I whispered, just so they could hear me. "Would you mind if I rested for a while longer?"

Ed and Winry went into surprise and acted as if they'd offended me by being there. I thanked them while they left, and then I sobbed in the horrible, flat, hospital pillow that lay beneath me.

Edward pretended not to hear Amaya's pained sobs as he stood outside her door. He cursed in his mind for so many different reasons. He knew he'd hurt her by bringing Winry in there, and he knew what she thought.

She _thought_ he loved Winry. She _thought_ that he didn't know how much she cared for him and needed him. She _thought _that he didn't feel the same way.

Oh, how wrong she was.


	5. Adventures

Winry shrieked with delight. I watched as she ran around a tool store, finding more and more things that she wanted to buy. I rubbed the temples of my head as she used mechanical terms that I didn't know. Edward had offered to buy Nina and me things too. However, I wasn't really in the mood for shopping, but I knew I'd have to get some fresh air sooner or later. Winry's work on my spine was amazing. I was up and walking by my third day in the hospital, and the next day I could run on a race track that was used for physical therapy in the back courtyard. I was eating normally, and I could almost pick Nina up on my own. It was miraculous, and I was eternally grateful to Winry. I'd even tried becoming friends with her, a lot. We'd talked in my hospital room for hours about several things. We didn't have any secret hatred against each other, like I thought we would. There was just one thing for which I envied Winry. She had something that I didn't; someone.

I glanced back at Ed with saddened eyes. He didn't quite treat Winry like a _girlfriend_, but still, I didn't like the way she looked at him, and sometimes, the way he looked at her. It gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. I'd accepted a long time ago that I had feelings for Ed. It was just up to me to put them to the test. However, I figured it'd be better if we waited until things start kicking up with the whole state alchemy thing.

"Here," Winry said, handing Ed a very small tool. "This is for you. Without me, you'll need to take care of your own auto mail." Ed took the item in Winry's hand and smiled a little. I turned away and watched as Nina skipped around the block with Alexander. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alphonse look over at me. I didn't acknowledge him.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up next to the curb. A man in a military uniform got out and saluted Ed. "Mr. Elric, Mustang wants to see you."

I glanced at Ed and Al, confused. Ed shrugged and whispered to me, "Better stop the shopping trip now before she cleans us out."

I laughed but stopped abruptly when Winry joined us again. We all climbed into the car as Al packed everything Winry had gotten into the trunk. There was just enough room for him to fit in the back with us. It _was _very roomy, actually, with seats lining the square inside of the car. I blushed as Ed took a seat next to me. Looking out the window, I avoided his gaze as Alexander lay on the floor with his paws covering his eyes. He didn't like car rides very much.

Driving to meet Mustang was a quiet ride. Winry shot glances at Ed and me. I tried to pay no attention as she did. We turned a sharp corner, and both Ed and I placed our hand in the same spot on the seat to brace ourselves. Our hands touched. He pulled away, immediately. I held my hand there until the car came to a stop.

Earlier, I'd had to make a horrible decision before Ed, Al, and I left for the mines that Ed was supposed to be inspecting. I made an excuse of having to go with them, for I could stay nowhere in Central. The truth was that I wanted adventure. I really, really wanted it. I never thought about the things of which I'd have to let go.

"**I want to go with you!" Nina cried, tears streaming down her face.**

"**We'll be together again," I said, my voice cracking as I tried not to cry. Winry had agreed to take Nina and Alexander back with her to stay with her and her grandmother. I was eternally grateful for everything she'd done for me.**

"**Promise?" Nina said, sniffling.**

**I wiped the tears from her face and hugged her close. Alexander nudged his head under my arm, as well. "I promise," I said. I kissed her forehead and gave Alexander a rub on his ears. "Be good for Winry and her grandmother, okay?"**

"**We will," said Nina, brightening up a bit and hugging Alexander to her chest. He still whined a little, knowing that he was leaving me. I smiled at him, and he gave my cheek a couple of kisses. I imagined his doggy voice saying 'I'll miss you.'**

Now, I sat on the train with Ed and Al. I shared a seat with Ed and stared out the window as he and Al started a conversation that reminded me that I could've stayed behind with Nina and easily found somewhere to stay. I began to feel guilty that I'd done something for myself than for Nina. Though what was I supposed to do? Nina was going to live in the country with large fields to play with Alexander and a nice, comfortable house. The best I could've given her was a crowded room in a local inn. I wanted what was best for my sister, and this was the best. It was the best for me too.

"Look, I think I can see it!" Al exclaimed, pointing out the window. I turned to see that we were headed to what looked like a deserted city.

"It's supposed to be a coal mining town, but it looks like a ghost town to me," Ed laughed. I looked around the place, and it did look quite empty. It was also very quiet.

"Everyone here looks so warn down," said Al, commenting about the few people who sat or stood on the streets or sand. Their heads were down in what seemed to be disappointment. It was sad to look at.

Just as Ed was making a comment, I yelled, "Duck!" Too late. As I ducked down to avoid being hit with a long wooden pole, Ed was smacked right in the head. He fell over, and I laughed. "I said 'duck'!"

"Shut up!" Ed grasped his head just as a kid, a bit younger than us, turned around to see him crouched on the ground.

"Sorry," he said, not seeming as though he really meant it. Suddenly, his face brightened up. "Wait, are you guys tourists? Where yuh from? Have yuh eaten? Where yuh stayin'?"

Ed frowned and rubbed the back of his head. "Hell of a welcoming committee!" he exclaimed, frustrated.

The boy suddenly called for his father, who appeared on a wooden bridge above us. His son referred to us as 'big spenders'. The man on the bridge introduced himself as Hawling. It turned out that he owned and ran a local inn. It seemed to be a stroke of luck, before we heard what the price was to stay for one night.

"WHAT?" Ed's face was in utter shock as he screamed in disbelief. I couldn't help but widen my eyes at the price for one night. "Two hundred thousand? That's ridiculous! You going to put gold bars on our pillows?" It turned out that the inn happened to be the ONLY one in town, and the owners hadn't had a customer in a long time. Therefore, they decided to "milk us for all we've got". Ed, Al and I looked through their wallet. Even combined with my life savings, it wasn't enough.

"We spent all that money on Winry and-," Alphonse started. However, Ed shushed him. I didn't even think about what Al might have said.

"I guess we go to plan B," said Ed, his face shrinking.

"What's plan B, exactly?" I asked, speaking for the first time since we finished counting the money. Ed and Al smiled at me, smugly. It turned out that plan B was having Ed fix anything in town for free in order to stay for a night. I liked the idea. It wasn't exactly breaking any rules, and if it got us a room, it was worth it.

People "ooh-ed" and "ah-ed" at Ed's gift of alchemy. He fixed anything that the town citizens gave him that needed it.

"Who would've thought that our first tourist in ages would be a real live alchemist?" said Hawling. He grinned at Ed, who smiled in return.

Hawling's son, Kyle, asked Ed what we were all doing here. Ed answered, "Eh, it's business, actually. I'm here to inspect the coal mines." The place froze. Everyone became quiet, and a few of the stronger men actually stepped out of the seats they were previously sitting in. I became really nervous, and something told me that Ed shouldn't have told them that.

"Inspect?" asked Hawling, suspiciously. "Then you're a part of the military?"

Ed didn't seem to notice that anything had become awkward. "Well, yeah," he said, calmly. "I'm a State Alchemist. Cool, huh?"

The next thing I knew, Ed was being thrown out of the inn. I ran after him as he landed on the cold ground. I knelt down beside him as his suitcase came flying on top of his head. I was going to make sure he was okay, but Ed knelt up and demanded to know why he was thrown out.

"We have no food or beds for any dogs of the military," said Hawling, narrowing his eyes at Ed.

I narrowed mine at him. "How dare you! He just spent all of this time trying to help you!" I shouted. I knelt back down to Ed. "Are you all right?"

He wouldn't look at me. "I'm fine."

"You can join him, missy," said Hawling. Then, he turned to Al. "You one of them too?"

As Al stuttered for an answer, Ed answered for him. "He's got nothing to do with it. I just met him on the train!" Hawling slammed the door before either Ed or I could shout again. He looked up and glared at me. "You should've just stayed inside."

The sound of the army man's sword clashing against Ed's auto mail made me cringe. He'd gotten in front of Lieutenant Yoki's subordinate just in time. As soon as the men realized that Ed was a state alchemist, their attitudes changed immediately. Lieutenant Yoki introduced himself to Ed and myself with dignity and good manners. I blinked, and my eyebrows scrunched together as I watched his thin mustache move as he talked. When Ed told him about the inspection, he invited him to stay at his mansion and away from the town. I narrowed my eyes at him. It was clear that the government treated these people unfairly. No wonder they hated the army _and_ the alchemists.

Suddenly, Ed put his arm around me. At first, I blushed, until I heard him saying that he wished for me to stay at the mansion as well. Lieutenant Yoki agreed, and as we walked out, Ed and I both glanced back at Al apologetically. There was no way they'd believe he was traveling with us, and we couldn't take back what Ed told the others before about just meeting Al on the train.

"It's such a great honor to be hosting a genuine state alchemist such as yourself in my home…"

I glanced at Ed and rolled my eyes as Yoki spoke a bunch of nonsense that was meant to be flattering to him and me. His servant, Lira, handed me a plate, and I thanked her quietly. She didn't reply. I felt a small gulp form in my throat. There was something about her that bothered me. I didn't know what it was, but she just gave me a weird feeling. I tried to push it away as I listened to the conversation.

"Actually, my goal is to become a state alchemist, to be just like you, Mr. Elric," said Lira. I gulped silently again. The way her voice sounded sent a twinge of jealousy throughout my body. I wondered when we were going to get the hell out of this place and just see Mustang already.

"Bon appetite," said Yoki, gesturing toward the food in front of us. Ed and I shared a glance, and he spoke.

"You eat pretty well considering the economic conditions of this town."

"Times are tough for all of us," stated Yoki. "I tell you, I've had plenty of trouble collecting taxes, and those minors can be so brutal sometimes, as you saw."

"You mean asserting their rights and refusing to pay you more than they earn?" questioned Ed. His tone seemed to be taken differently by Yoki than he meant.

"Exactly, you get it! I knew you were a man of great understanding."

"To understand the world, we have only to follow one basic principal: Equivalent Exchange; The Founding Law of Alchemy. You can't get without giving, right?" I saw his eyes narrow at Yoki, and I bit my lip lightly.

"Absolutely! Elegantly put," Yoki stated. He called upon Lira, who pushed a small bag of money toward Edward and one toward me. "Please accept this as a token of my appreciation."

Ed looked up. "Is this supposed to some kind of a bribe, Yoki?" He questioned.

"That is such an ugly word. Think of it as Equivalent Exchange. Now then, there is the matter of your inspection."

"Yeah, I get your drift," Ed said. I glanced at him for the third time tonight. He didn't look at me.

After dinner, Yoki showed Ed and me the room we'd be staying in. He didn't question whether or not it would be okay if we shared a room. I figured that he thought we were dating. How lenient adults had been since I'd been traveling alone with Ed and Al. My father would have never allowed this.

"Maya?"

My head snapped up from the floor. I looked at Ed with glazed eyes that cleared after a few seconds. "Hm?"

"Are you tired?" he said, still in mid-stretch. He must've yawned while I'd been thinking to myself.

I thought about it for a moment, realizing that I was a bit exhausted. I had that feeling behind my eyes and in my body that made me really want to lie down in a comfortable bed. I hadn't slept in a good one since I'd been at home. "Yes," I answered truthfully. "Exhausted, actually."

Ed shrugged off his jacket and took off his gloves. I blushed, seeing his revealed auto mail. My eyes lingered to his muscles on the other arm before I quickly looked out the window, just as he turned back toward me. "It' must be weird," he said suddenly. I turned back to him, confused. "I can't imagine what it feels like on the inside of your body." I realized he was talking about the auto mail.

"Actually, I can barely feel it," I said.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Only a couple weeks after the surgery, my bone marrow had already started to cover the metal. Soon, from the outside, it'll look like my regular bones again, probably in a year or two." I smiled at him.

"That's kind of incredible," he said.

"Yeah," I replied. _It'd be nice if skin could do the same thing,_ I thought, glancing at his metallic arm. He must have seen me look.

"Sorry if it creeps you out."

I snapped my eyes back up to his face, confused. "What?"

He grunted out a chuckle. "My arm."

My eyes widened in realization. I hadn't meant that at all! "No!" I cried. "Of course not; I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to stare like that, I was just thinking-"

He cut me off. "Maya, it's all right. I was only kidding."

I bit my lip and looked away. My right arm crossed over to my left across my chest. I felt cold, and I wanted to sleep. I also felt bad for staring, and I wanted to kick myself. "I'm sorry."

His lips curved a little into half of a smile. Ed then looked over at the bed. "You can take it, if you want. I'll sleep on the floor."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You don't have to do that," I said quietly, blushing madly. How bad and suggestive did that sound? And at twelve years old? Good God…

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded. What other option was there? I wasn't about ready to let him sleep on the floor after all he had done for me. That would just be selfish. I should've been the one sleeping on the floor, but I was too selfish for that. I wanted to feel the comfortable bed.

So I did. I stepped out of my shoes and placed them in the corner. Neither of us bothered to change; that would've been overdoing it. I could feel the blush still burning on my face. The more I thought about the situation, the longer it lingered. I didn't speak as I crawled under the covers, and neither did Ed. In fact, he rested _above _the sheets. He folded his hands behind his head and laid on his back. I pulled the blankets up to my shoulders and closed my eyes. I couldn't believe how good it felt to be wrapped in the warm sheets. The mattress was so soft too, and so were the pillows. And my _back_; there was no lingering back pain that kept me from being that content. I knew I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night in pain. That made me smile.

"What are you smiling about?" I heard Edward ask. My eyes snapped open.

I couldn't help but laugh a little and blush even more. "I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time." Only after I said it did I realize that it sounded weird because he, a boy, was in the same bed as myself. I wanted to fold the bed up to my nose so Edward wouldn't see my cheeks.

However he just nodded. "I believe that."

"Yeah," I said, not knowing what else to say to that.

"I'm sorry, Maya," Ed said suddenly, after a moment of silence.

I was confused. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"For everything that's happened to you."

I sat up. "Ed," I began. "Don't be sorry. If you hadn't been there, if you'd never come to our house…" I trailed off. I didn't want to think about what might have happened to Nina and me if he and Alphonse hadn't been there.

"Still," he said, not quite looking at me. "I'm just… sorry."

I sat there in silence for a moment, not quite knowing what to do or say again. I bit my lip, quickly deciding on something. I called his name quietly. "Ed?" He looked up at me, and I kissed him.

It was small, gentle. I caught him by surprise, and I pulled away before he could even react to it. Maybe I should have been embarrassed, but I was too grateful to think about it. So I just whispered, "Thank you."

It was dark. My eyes shot open in the middle of the night. Something had woken me up, along with Edward. I had been comfortably asleep under the covers. Ed had his left arm wrapped around my shoulders. I expect we two would have been humiliated had it not been for the explosion that seemed to be coming from the city.

Ed still had his arm wrapped around me tightly when he spoke. "What the hell?"

I was nervous. My fingers, unknown to me at the time, clung to his shoulder. "What was that?"

Ed shook his head. Neither of us knew, but there was nothing we could do in the middle of the night. We couldn't just go sneaking out of Yoki's house and walking through town at God only knows what hour. Ed told me to go back to sleep; I didn't argue. Though he sat up on the bed, not even daring to rest any longer. I closed my eyes yet again, and suddenly I began to miss his arm around me.

When I woke up again, the sun was shining. It was morning, and Ed was nowhere to be found in our room. However, next to me on the pillow was a note. I picked it up, unfolded the little piece of paper, and read.

Maya,

Inn was destroyed last night. Find me when you read this.

- Ed.

I gasped a little. Who would destroy the inn? The townspeople hadn't done anything wrong, really, just stood up for themselves. I didn't blame them.

I sat up and got out of the bed. Slipping on my shoes, I exited the room Ed and I had shared. Immediately, I could hear his voice. I sighed with relief. Now I wouldn't have to wander around all creation searching for him, not to mention, navigate in Yoki's house by myself.

"That's right, and while you're here, I'd like you to throw in everything from the trade routes to the town itself. Okay?" Ed was saying. I wondered who he was bargaining with and what for. The town? Was he trying to buy the mining town?

I walked in just as Ed was telling Yoki that the gold he was about to receive wasn't illegal if he just accepted it as a gift and signed the deed over to Ed free of charge. My eyes widened at the amount of gold bars that Ed was displaying. Where the hell had he gotten all of that? However, I kept my mouth shut until we were out of Yoki's house with the deed to the town and the letter from Yoki.

"So, tell me," I began. "What's going to happen now that you own the place?"

A smirk snuck onto Edward's face. "Watch," he said.

I did watch. I watched as we passed the inn, which now looked good as new even though Ed had just told me it was destroyed. I watched as Ed flaunted the deed to the townspeople. I watched as he traded the deed for one night's stay for us at the inn, and I watched as Yoki tried to get Lira to attack Ed because the gold had turned out to be fake. Well, that answered my question of where it came from. It was just stone.

I cringed as the girl, Lira, hit the ground. However, she _had_ attacked Ed first. It was only self-defense on his part.

Men surrounded Yoki and his companions. One of them threatened him. "Now we're gonna do to you physically what you've been doing to us financially for years."

Ed, Al, and I walked back to the newly restored inn before we had to watch Yoki's merciless ass-kicking.

Hawling's son Kyle brought me a drink at the table of the inn I sat at with Edward and Alphonse. Everyone thought the place looked even better than before and definitely livelier. In the midst of all the music and drinking and laughter, I thought of how much I had wanted my adventure back when I was still healing. I was finally getting it, and this was only just the beginning.

|| Three Years Later ||

"Edward Elric? Yeah, I've heard of him!" said the cab driver of the truck the three of us were using to get across the desert.

I sat scrunched up against Alphonse in the corner. Even though it was so hot, he was cool, being made of armor. I couldn't believe it had been more than three years since I'd started traveling with the brothers. I'd been writing to Nina every chance I got. She never replied; I'd advised her not to since we were always traveling. I couldn't wait to see her again and see how big she's gotten.

"So what do you know about the guy?" Edward asked, a big, cheesy grin on his face. I giggled a little. He was obviously looking for praise. He got some too. However, it wasn't too long until the cabby commented on his height. Needless to say, Edward freaked out.

"Who are you calling a dwarf?" Edward went crazy enough to make the cab driver crash the truck. The three of them ran out of the tipped vehicle. Edward chased after the cabby; Alphonse chased after Edward. I climbed out of the truck myself but just watched them. I couldn't help but let out a fit of giggles that shortly turned into a fit of laughter as the three of them ran through the sand, yelling at each other.

The ironic thing was that Edward was still taller than me.


	6. Home Sweet Home

"MAYA!"

The echo of Nina's shout for me rolled through the few hills that I laid away from the Rockbell cottage. My right eye opened, trying to shut out at least half of the sun's bright light from my field of vision. My lips curved into a smile as I sat up on the grass to peer over the distance to the house, where Nina stood outside the front door with a few familiar faces.

After Ed, Al, and I had crossed the desert, I was sent on a train immediately to get a check up from Winry and her grandmother on my automail. In order to do so, they had to perform a bit of surgery. I was lucky that Pinako was a bit experienced in performing surgical procedures. Along with Winry's knowledge of mechanics, they were able to take a look at the artificial spinal cord I had. However, it was still very difficult. I needed to be awake. I needed to be able to feel the attachments of a new addition to the spine, just simple reinforcements that needed to be welded to it. Winry had never been more nervous.

In order to distract me from the pain, Pinako would talk to me and make me do relaxation exercises, telling me how to go somewhere in my mind to block out the horrible sensations. At the time, I had imagined being with my mother and Nina. I pictured us all in a small cottage near a beach, away from war and the military and alchemists. Though I still imagined myself as a gifted one. I avoided thoughts of my father as if he never even existed, as if Nina and I were born without one. There was one point where it seemed so real, at least as real as a dream felt, where I needed to make an excuse for the tears that had formed their tracks down my cheeks.

After a week, I had been able to start walking and running again. The stitches dissolved after another fortnight, and only a scar over a scar was left behind. If I had to thank Winry and Pinako any more, I would have doubled over and worshipped them. Even the doctors and mechanics that had treated me in Central had nothing on the two of them. I was sure there were those more skilled, but I had never had the privilege of seeing them.

Nina had grown much more than I had imagined. She was at least four inches taller, and she had to cut her hair because it had gotten so long. By now, it was short enough to make two low pigtails that only reached just below her shoulders. Her writing and drawing had gotten more legible, since it was the most that she had to work on to pass the time. I learned that Alexander and Den had become the best of playmates while I was away, and both laid under the kitchen table whenever Winry set up to work on something new or Nina thought of a new picture to create. During my stay there, when I was able to get up and move around, I would sat at the table for hours to watch the both of them. "I wish I had some talent to work on like you do," I had muttered to Winry one night.

"Well," she said, twisting a screw into some piece of metal. "I think you just need to find one. What are you good at?"

"Sneaking out of the house and starting fights," I sighed, reflecting on my younger days of disobeying my parents to have midnight ball games with my friends. I hadn't even become a teenager yet, and I was reckless as hell.

Winry gave me a look through her goggles. "You could take up alchemy again."

I thought about it for a moment, and then blew my lingering bangs out of my eyes. "If only the best candidates for teaching me about it would show up every once in a while."

"You've seen them much more than I have," she said, her voice lowering a bit. I frowned, realizing I was preaching to the choir.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head and continued tinkering with the metallic parts. "They'll come as soon as one of them is missing another limb, I'm sure."

At the time, I had laughed at the sarcasm. But now, lying on the grass, I realized how much Winry had been serious about it. I kept looking into the distance, instinctively raising my right hand to my left shoulder, where it itched from the lack of cover of the grass. Feeling bare skin, I looked down, only just remembering that Winry had lent me a strapless top, something she wore to move better when working hard. Plus, it was always incredibly hot in the house from lack of ventilation after dinner had been made, especially in the summer. Her pants were a bit long for me, and I had to roll them up quite a bit before the cuffs were just resting on my heels. I sighed. Before the surgery, I had had to cut my hair too. I had bangs now, and my hair only went to the middle of my back. Nina and I no longer looked extremely similar. One might have thought I was her mother back in Central.

I ran back to the house with bare feet slicing through the grass, aiming toward the short destination trying to get there as fast as I could. My smile got wider and wider as Ed and Al came closer into view. However, it faded rather quickly when I saw exactly how the two brothers had come back with missing limbs. In fact, Alphonse was in a box, being carried by a member of the military I did not recognize. Still, I was glad to see them both. Without bothering to mind the fact that Edward was missing a limb that allowed him to balance, I wrapped my arms around his neck and slammed into him, unable to say anything.

His gloved fingers touched the bare skin on my back and lingered over the fresher scar. "How did it go?" he only asked, without any other greeting.

When I finally pulled away from him, I answered. "Great. I'm perfectly fine for traveling again." The reason I had been sent to Risembool in the first place was to straighten my spine. Apparently, I had grown just a bit, but it made a big difference in my stance. Extra reinforcements had to be placed into the steel to stunt my growth. I didn't really mind it too much. If it meant I kept my spine, I could handle being on the short side.

Not three flat seconds after I had separated myself from Ed, a gleam of silver went flying past my vision. I blinked, and suddenly Ed was on the ground. A wrench that shone in the sunlight rested next to his head on the grass. Glancing up at the balcony of the house, I noticed Winry going a little red in the face. Ed shot up from the dirt. "Great, I buy you a wrench, AND YOU TRY TO KILL ME WITH IT!"

"Apparently you're trying to kill yourself! What have you two been up to?" she shrieked right back. I sighed. Maybe it was just the way people expressed their greetings toward Ed, they argued. Even Pinako began commenting on Ed's height, which sparked a response from him, which made her retort again, and so on. I huffed a breath and crossed my arms, then suddenly started when the military personnel with Ed began to scold the young alchemist for being rude to his elders.

"Major Louis Armstrong at your service!" he cried, introducing himself to Pinako, Nina, and me. I shook the rather large and strong hand very lightly, feeling as if the brute could snap my arm in half if he so much as had a muscle spasm in his pinky.

I laid down in the grass yet again after only a half hour of Ed and Al catching up with Winry and Pinako. Now the two mechanics were hard at work, promising to get Ed's new limbs made in three days or less. The two of them and I had nothing to do but wait. So I told Nina to come out with me and get fresh air. She gathered up sticks and threw them before Den and Alexander, playing a long game of fetch through the green hills. Alphonse was propped up against a barrel. It was the best I could find that could handle the weight of the suit of armor. "So what do you both plan to find in Central?"

Ed plopped down next to me in the grass. "Research from an alchemist named Marcoh. He worked on searching for the Philosopher's Stone a long time ago before quitting the military and going into hiding."

My eyebrows furrowed. "I've heard of him," I said. "He served in some war that went on, I heard, did research for the military. I didn't know it was on the Philosopher's Stone; that was just what my father had said. He liked to show to our mom that he was in the loop."

I could sense Ed's eyes on me, but I kept mine focused on the white puffs moving through the sky. "Yeah, well, he told us where he hid his books. It's the library in Central, and we need to get there as soon as possible."

I laughed a bit as he already began to fidget in the grass. "The library will still be there when you get your arm and leg back, Ed."

"Things probably aren't going to be easy when we get there, Brother," started Al. "You should probably relax while you can, don't you think?"

Ed frowned. "I know, I know…" he trailed off with a stubborn expression on his face.

"Maybe…" Al began again, seeming to try to find the courage to say what he wanted to. "Maybe you should go and see Mom."

I immediately tensed. Ed had told me about their parents in the cab through the desert the month before. I bit my lip when Ed agreed to it. Still, I took a breath and remained on the grass, silent, until Ed asked. "You want to come with, Maya?"

I blinked. It was an invitation I had not expected. But Nina was there to keep Al company at least, so I agreed.

It wasn't until after sunset that Ed and I, followed by Alexander, had made it to the gravesite. When we approached it, Ed noted the red rose that was already spread across the ground by the grave. "Where did that come from?" he said, kneeling down by the stone.

I smiled a bit. "I put it there," I said. "When I had started walking again, I followed the path through the hills for a whole day, and came across these graves. When I saw her name, I…" I trailed off, lowering my eyes to the ground. "She is the reason that I was able to meet you and Al, after all. Without her, you wouldn't exist. And without you, I would probably be dead."

Edward never responded to me, only laid the small batch of flowers he had grabbed next to my rose. "I think she would have liked you."

"I'd hoped she would have."

It was long after dark by the time we got back, and Alexander busted through the cottage door for dinner as soon as we did. I rolled my eyes and let Ed in before me, shutting the door and yawning. Winry was taking a break from her work, and Pinako and Armstrong were at the table drinking coffee. Nina was sitting next to Alphonse, who had been propped up against a chair in the living room. Ed sat down on the couch, and I curled up on the chair next to it.

"Good," Winry said, taking out a piece of string. "I can get your measurements now Ed." She knelt down on the floor next to him and ran the string up his leg to get the right measurements for the automail. I watched with my head resting on my hand.

While doing her measuring, Winry noticed the watch that the military gave to State Alchemists. I breathed a laugh as she practically swooned over the instrument, begging Ed to let her take it apart and see how it ticked. Of course he said no, and so did Major Armstrong in a manner of making an excuse. I stood up from the chair and quickly ran upstairs, rummaging through the lone suitcase that I had. When I returned back into the living room, I held out a similar pocket watch, just years older than Ed's. It wasn't as shiny and new, but the detail and craftsmanship were still intact.

"Here," I said to her. "Do whatever the hell you want with this one." I sat down onto the couch next to Ed as she took it, rather confused.

"How did you get a State Alchemist's watch?" Ed asked with a bit of disbelief.

I hesitated a moment before answering, staring at the silver clock swinging back and forth in Winry's grasp. "It was my father's."

"Your father?" Winry asked, suddenly wanting to give the thing back to me. "I couldn't do that. Why wouldn't you want it?" I looked up at her. Had Ed not told her who I was in the first place? Maybe in the emergency of my automail, it hadn't come up.

"I don't want it because I don't want any memories of him," I answered, sparing the details for Nina's sake. She still had no idea what he did to our mother, and I intended to keep it that way until I was sure she was old enough to understand everything. Hell, I was twelve and barely understood. I hadn't even told her what had happened to my back this time. My parents had hard enough of a time telling her when it originally happened. "I'll just destroy it if you don't want to."

She lowered the watch in understanding. "Well, consider us even for your spine repairs then," she said. "I'm charging Ed a fortune for the rush on his limbs anyway."

I smiled. How generous.

As soon as they were ready, Edward's limbs were attached to him. Being the only one knowing how painful it was besides him, I tried to distract him from it like Pinako had done for me. Keeping a light conversation, I dabbed at his forehead with a cold rag. Beads of sweat gathered every minute, but I kept it up nonetheless. Even after the limbs were properly attached, I remained next to the couch he laid on, dabbing at his forehead every few minutes. We didn't talk, which made it awkward for me. I never could stand silence, but I still held my tongue for his sake. I never wanted to talk either directly afterward.

Of course, maybe I was mistaken. As soon as Winry came in the room and said something, Ed was up, moving, and talking. I let the rag drop back into the cold water and grabbed the bucket, taking it out of the room to dump it before I could hear any conversation. I was grateful to Winry. She had been the only friend I had had in a long time, but there were some moments where I was so full of envy I couldn't even talk to her. After all, Ed had only saved my life. I was indebted to him. Winry? She had saved Ed's life before, including his ability to walk and use alchemy. She knew everything about him, knew exactly how we worked. I had barely broken the outer shell in over three years.

I sighed as the water from the bucket sloshed through the soil on the ground. Placing the wooden carrier back on the deck of the balcony, I watched as Ed headed outside to repair Alphonse. The suit of armor rested with all of its pieces, and it only took a clap of Ed's hands to put everything back together again. Not long after, they began to spar, a test of physical ability against each other. I only sat and watched, breathing in the outside air as a slight wind blew past. I tried to pay attention to the brotherly fight, but I could not help getting a feeling that distracted me from it.

I suddenly felt incredibly sad, for an unknown reason. I sighed again, heavier this time, so that my face fell from its resting point on my hand to rest on the railing of the balcony. I could feel sudden tears welling up behind my eyes, but tried to blink them away.

"Maya?"

I turned immediately toward the door to the room I shared with Winry while staying here. Nina was peering behind the now open door. She had an uncertain look on her face, but I smile nonetheless. "What is it Nina?"

She came over to me, leaving the door open. I saw Alexander follow her inside and sit down on the balcony when Nina stood next to me. Her smaller hand snuck into mine. It took her a moment to answer me. She just looked down at Ed and Al sparring. "Are you going to leave with them?" she asked. I didn't reply right away. "I won't be mad if you do," she suddenly added. "I just miss you. That's all, and Alexander does too." She wrapped her arms around the large dog's neck and sighed.

I smiled a bit. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me," I finally answered, placing a hand on top of her head. "Some day, Nina, I'll get us a house. We'll be a family again." I frowned then and knelt down at her height, making her face me. "But right now, there are a lot of things going on. Bad things. There are too many bad people for you to come with me everywhere and for me to keep you safe from all of them. Some day all the bad stuff will end, but right now you have to be patient and wait." I paused a bit after that. "Do you understand?"

Without warning, Nina wrapped her arms around my torso and pressed her head to my chest, hugging me tighter than when I had greeted her here. Saying goodbye was always hard, but now it almost seemed unbearable for me. When I responded and held her close, I heard her whisper, "Don't let Daddy hurt you anymore."

The words caught me off guard. I pulled away and looked at my little sister. Did she understand more than I gave her credit for? This time, I let the tears fall without even realizing they had started to gather. Though it had already been so long, it seemed as if our family had suddenly been killed in a matter of days. At that moment, I tried to think of what was to blame. What was the first thing that happened that determined our mother's fate? Our father's? There was so much history in both. It could go all the way back to the first time my father picked up an alchemy book as a kid, as if we were doomed from the start of our family's existence. What would Nina and I gain from the loss of both of our parents? Where was the Equivalent Exchange in our lives?

All the way until the sunset and Winry came to get us for dinner, Nina stayed with me in the bedroom. We sat out on the balcony and just talked about anything that came to mind, which was a lot from a seven-year-old. We took turns petting Alexander, who loyally remained with us for the few hours as well. I jumped when the door opening interrupted our peacefulness. "Have you been up here all day?" asked Winry with her hands on her hips.

I nodded as Nina and Alexander ran out, both happy to be having dinner soon. "We were talking," I said, brushing a strand of hair behind my back. "Turns out Nina knows more about what happened to us than I ever thought she did."

Winry nodded in what I guessed was fake understanding. Still, it was a nice gesture. "Did you know what was written on the inside of Ed's watch?" she suddenly asked.

I peered over at her with confusion. That was random. "No," I replied. "Why? What's written in his watch?"

She grabbed a lamp from one of the many storage boxes that had piled up in her room over the years. "The date that they burned their home down and left, along with the words 'don't forget'. I figured you knew when you tried to give me your dad's; my only question is what he isn't supposed to forget."

I shrugged. "Winry, you know a lot more about them than I do." She came over to the deck and placed the lamp on the railing, alternating between turning it on and off, shining it into the distance. I didn't bother asking her what she was doing. I didn't really care. "You say I've spent a lot more time with them than you have," I continued. "That I've gotten to see them more and that I'm lucky. But really, I don't even know if I mean much to them. At least you know you're their friend. How do I know I'm not just baggage that they carry around because they feel bad for me? Do I mean anything to them at all?" I avoided her eyes as I looked out into the distance, realizing she was signaling the two Elrics because they had been out in the dark. "Do I mean anything to anyone?"

Before she could even try to answer either of my rhetorical questions, I got up and slowly walked downstairs. I made it there just as Ed and Al opened the door. Nina was excitedly waiting to eat, and Den and Alexander were already busy chowing down on whatever was in their bowls. I sat down next to my sister without a word, grateful when she took my hand under the table.

After tucking Nina into one of the beds Pinako had set up for her, Ed, and Al, I waited until I was sure she was asleep before leaving the room. Just when I shut the door, I looked up to see the oldest Elric staring right back at me. His red jacket was draped over his mechanical arm, his gloves sticking out of its side pocket. The normal braid that kept back most of his blond hair was undone so it draped over his shoulders. If I could have turned and walked the other way, I would have, but he was blocking the way to where I was supposed to sleep.

I made it obvious I wasn't going to speak, and only started to walk past him. But he grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Winry told me what you said," he muttered in my ear.

I let out a light sigh. She had been listening to me more than I thought. "And what did I say, exactly?"

His tone became slightly angrier. "Something along the lines of Al and I thinking of you as a burden." He paused, as if expecting me to retaliate. I didn't. "Do you really think that?"

Finally, I brought myself back a step and looked at him. "Ed, all you've done is take care of me. You've saved my life; you and Hughes paid for my hospital expenses after what my dad did. You've now paid for Winry and her grandmother's work on my back. I've known you for three years, and all it seems you've done is pay for me! I barely know anything about you," I retorted, trying to keep my voice at a low level. "I can't talk to you like Winry can. The only time I can ever have a decent conversation with you is when you talk to me. Did you ever notice?"

He stared at me with what looked like anger in his eyes, but remained silent. When he didn't say anything, I tried walking past him again, but Ed only tightened his grip on my arm even more and pulled me back. I would have pushed him away, demanded him to let go, had he not pulled me even closer until I was pressed against him. And then I stopped fighting, surprised at the action. "Are you looking to be Winry?" he asked. "Are you asking for me to treat you like a friend, like I treat Winry? Is that all you want?"

My head rested against his shoulder, and I didn't answer. I could have said yes. I wanted to be his friend. I wanted to know that I meant something to him. I did. But if I said no, which way would he take it? He could take it as I didn't _want_ to be anything to him. Or Edward could see past what I mean, but what were the odds of that? So I chose not to answer and just stood there, feeling both his warm flesh and cold metal hands on my back. In any case, I hoped he knew what I meant.

In the morning, I rolled over on the bed that I slept on and glanced out at the strip of sun that beamed at me through the window. Winry had yet to wake up, and I only adjusted the covers to completely cover me again, having moved quite a bit in my sleep. It was early. I was sure no one else was awake, except for maybe Alphonse. But going to talk to him meant going into their room, and that would wake Ed for sure. Instead, I stayed where I was, alternating between sleeping for minutes at a time, listening for sounds of others being awake, and counting more minutes, until I finally heard the floor boards in the kitchen creaking with movement.

I stood up after knocking the bed covers away and slid on the new sweatpants from Winry on over my legs, tying them tightly around my hips. I threw my suitcase on the bed after putting the bed sheets back in order, having barely opened it when I had come here in the first place. I was ready to leave whenever the brothers were. Though I tried to keep my thoughts away from leaving Nina as I headed downstairs.

As I had assumed, Ed was already dressed and sitting at the kitchen table, where breakfast was being made. As soon as I sat down across from him, Nina came quickly shuffling down the stairs with her hair all out of place from sleeping. I smiled as she hopped up onto my lap. In the middle of breakfast, Winry came slowly down the stairs dressed as well. It was expected she would sleep late, since she had stayed up all night making Ed's limbs.

Everyone ate in silence, except for Pinako and Major Armstrong, who kept up a conversation that none of us had to join into from across the table. It took longer than expected for everyone to gather out front to say goodbye, or maybe we were all just putting it off on purpose. I knew deep down that I was trying to.

"Now don't be strangers. Come home and have dinner with us sometime," ordered Pinako.

I was working on fixing the last bit of Nina's hair into a high ponytail. When all of it was in place, I stood up. "Thank you," I said. "For everything you've done for me, for both of us."

"You know," said Winry. "This makes this place your home too, right?"

I looked up at her, a bit surprised. "Of course," Pinako added. "Just because you haven't stayed here long doesn't mean it's not a home."

Nina still had a locked grip around my waist. I picked her up quickly, glad that I could do so and hug her once more. "Yes," I said softly. "I think that wherever I can go and stay with my sister is a good enough home for me." At least, for now, I thought to myself.

Nina, when we all finally started walking away from Rockbell Automail, immediately ran inside the house. I saw her form run onto the balcony. Whenever we reached the top of one of the hills on the way back to the train station, I could look back and see her in the distance, still waving. I wondered how long she would.

Nonetheless, every time I reached the top of one of the green mountains, I would wave back.


	7. The Philosopher's Stone

"Central! It's good to be back!" Ed cried and stretched as we got of the train. I looked around the station, admitting to myself that it did feel good to come back to the city. I was all for taking a small vacation, but when it came down to starting up with learning alchemy again, I desperately wanted to get my hands on some of the books in Central Library as well. Now that I had updated work in my automail, I didn't have to worry about it holding me down. Of course, it wouldn't have held me down in the past three years either, but I felt different now. I was determined, having struggled so much while thinking about my family, I owed it to Nina to be the best that I could to restore the family that we had together. So I would follow in Ed's footsteps. In Central, when it came time for it, I was going to take the exam to become a State Alchemist. True, I would be what everyone called a dog of the military, but it was good pay. I could make the money I needed to support Nina and myself. Of course, I would help Edward and Alphonse with their mission first. Nina had a good home for now, and my own life could wait.

Being able to talk to Ed and Al on the train had also put me in a better mood, for they both had agreed to help me learn alchemy. I had not brought it up yet that I wanted to take the exam. I didn't know how Ed would react to that. After all, it would be a long time before I could. It took them months of preparing in my family's old library to even think they were ready for it. Luckily, I had just under a whole year to prepare myself. If I worked hard and read up on everything I could from now until then, I was sure I could do it.

"What's the big rush? It's not as if the library's going anywhere," said Armstrong, full of sarcasm. I stepped quicker when I realized that Ed and Al were getting ahead of me.

"After all this time searching, we finally got a good lead!" reasoned Ed with excitement. In a while, I hadn't seen the grin plastered on his face like today. Though I understood how much of a relief that would be. That is, if we were allowed to go as we pleased around the city.

I frowned as a Lieutenant and Sergeant of the military saluted and introduced themselves, greeting the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed's face fell, for they were referring to Alphonse, thinking that he suited the name better, which was probably true. "I'm used to it by now," he muttered, when they corrected their mistakes. I couldn't help but laugh, abruptly stopping when Edward gave me a glare. "Major, we don't need babysitters anymore. All of us have been fully repaired!"

Crossing my arms as Armstrong apologized, I noticed Lieutenant Ross give us a certain expression. Of course. We were children; children facing adult situations, I thought. How horrible. We must be pitied for our hardships and taken care of every waking moment because we don't know how to face the real world! That was something I had seen in every adult's eyes ever since I first had to have surgery for my automail. Oh, the pity I needed for being such a weak little girl! I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

I followed Ed to the military car that was to take us to the library after giving my suitcase to Major Armstrong. Kindly, he told me he would keep it safe at Headquarters. I knew it would be too much to take once the Elrics and I started traveling again. I thanked the Strong Arm Alchemist quickly and got into the vehicle, Al squeezing in behind me. The three of us were not told the bad news until we actually pulled up to the First Branch, which was now only a pile of smoldering wood and ashes.

Ed gasped and got out of the car. "Scar's on Wanted posters all over town, and several eye witnesses saw him around the area just before the fire started," Ross explained as the rest of us filed after him.

I bit my lip as Ed picked up a burnt book, only to have it fall to bits in between his gloved fingertips. I looked up at the building myself, imagining the place as it once was, standing tall and full of everything I could ever want to know about alchemy. Suddenly that exam looked so much harder to pass than before. "Damn," I cursed, clenching my hands into a fist. It figured that when I had the knowledge just within my grasp, it was taken away again just like that.

"We've been searching all morning," claimed one of the librarians. He placed two boxes of books in front of us. "These were all we could recover."

Ed and I searched through the boxes carefully. There were hardly ten books in the one I looked through. I tried my best to read the titles and authors' names on them, but I never spotted anything by Tim Marcoh, or any other author that knew of alchemy for that matter. "Is it possible that someone has it checked out right now?" I asked the other librarian, who held a copy of the list of every author found in the main building.

"Yes," she answered. "But all the records were destroyed in the fire."

I frowned. "Right," I muttered, piling the scarce amount of books back into the box.

"Last time I was here I remember a mousy girl with glasses," said Ed, after asking if anyone else may have known about the book's whereabouts, or if it had even been in the building at all before the fire.

"Oh, you're talking about Sheska," replied the librarian. "Though you must not have been here that recently because she was let go."

After thinking about it, I slightly remembered the girl Ed was talking about. Though it had been years since I had last come to that part of the library. Because it only allowed State Alchemists inside, it was one of the days my father had let me go outside after my accident. He needed more books for his research and had told me I could come along. I remembered Sheska as the bookworm who had found him thirteen different books in less than five minutes. She knew exactly where they were without my father needing to tell her half of the author's names. At the time, I just thought she was weird. Now, I was just impressed.

Within minutes, we were on the way to Sheska's house, having gotten her address from the librarians, who luckily kept all the employment records in the main building. The car pulled up to the white, brick house and stopped. Al and I followed Ed out of the car and up the wooden stairs to the front door, where Ed repeatedly knocked- louder and louder- to try to get someone to answer. "Maybe she isn't home," I suggested, just as Ed opened the door a crack. We were surprised that it wasn't locked.

"The lights are on," Ed reasoned with me. The two brothers and I peered inside the house and gasped. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand, books were stacked up inside the house. Everywhere an eye could travel was a new book stacked on top of another. The cover of one of the bound histories filled every corner. I looked around the place, trying to search titles for something I could use to learn alchemy.

We remained at the door, only peering in at the place until we heard a faint cry. "Help me, please? Someone?" At first, none of us knew where it was coming from. It just seemed like a muffled voice appearing out of nowhere. Then, I stared at a few crumbled stacks of books in the middle of the room. All five of us ran into the room and began shoving books out of the way, trying to carry them and stack them back in place again to get Sheska out from underneath the avalanche. When she was finally out with a cup of tea, we were relieved, but out of breathe. "Thank you all so much; I was always told I would die with my head in the book. I just didn't know people meant it literally." Her face fell as she finished. I held in a laugh to avoid making a serious situation awkward.

It turned out that, after all the effort, Sheska had read the book. It had been in the back of the library, and it had definitely perished in the fire. I sighed. "_That means that all the good alchemy books were back there too,_" I thought. "_And they're all gone. Damn it!"_

"Actually, I could recreate the book for you if you wanted," Sheska suddenly said. "I have a photographic memory and could rewrite every detail."

My head popped up from staring at the floor, along with Edward's. "Can you really do that?" he asked. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Well because people have always made fun of me for it. But if I could be of some help…" She trailed off and immediately went to grab several notepads and pens. When she started, I couldn't believe what I was watching. She was literally writing down every detail from that book. As I watched, I wondered if she remembered books on alchemy that well, and made a mental note to ask her later.

Three days later, to be exact.

Three days later, and Sheska had every single letter from the book written down on about thirty different pads of paper, totaling of about a thousand pages or more. I blinked at the remade book. Was there really that much information out there on the Philosopher's Stone? If so, why was it so hard to find? Of course, I soon found out that what Sheska had reproduced was a cookbook. "_No wonder,_" I thought, flipping through some of the pages myself. Still, Ed thought it was worth something, so he, Al, and I grabbed the notepads and went immediately from the house, but not before I got my word in.

"Sheska?" I asked, just before I was out the door. She stood next to Sergeant Bloch, who held a figure of money that she was meant to be paid from Ed.

"Hm?"

I glanced out the door, where the car was waiting for me. I had to be quick. "Can you remember reading anything on alchemy? Just any book that you could recreate from that library?"

Her face brightened a bit. "Of course! There were a ton of books on the subject there-"

"Great," I interrupted her before she could get carried away. "If you could copy down everything you remember, that would be amazing! I'll come back for them; thanks!" Before she could reply or object, I ran out the door and shot into the car that took us back to the main building of the library, heaving a sigh.

Ed's theory was that Marcoh's cookbook was written in some kind of code. Our job now was to crack the thing and figure out what everything really meant. For hours, we sat in the main building, writing our own notes from what was _actually_ written in the kitchen manual. When I was in the midst of blocking out some of the columns, I jumped when the door to the room we stood in was thrown open.

I dropped the book I held onto the table when I saw who it was. A tall, dark-haired, smiling Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. He just stood there, waving, and I nearly jumped over the table to get to him. It had been so long since I had last seen him, the closest thing that I had to a real father-type figure. Someone who wasn't obsessed with alchemy or doing work for the military. His fatherhood always showed, especially nowadays when he carried dozens of pictures of Alicia in his pocket all the time. He met me half way into the hug that I gave him. It was incredibly informal of me, but I wasn't a part of the military yet. Screw formalities.

"Hey Kiddo," he greeted. "Heard you got some repairs done."

I pulled away with a smile plastered onto my face. "Yes, I feel great."

"Well that's good," he said, keeping a hand affectionately on my shoulder as he turned to Ed and Al. "Got yourself fully repaired too, Alphonse?"

"Yes, Sir! Good as new."

Hughes laughed, but was abruptly stopped when Lieutenant Ross stepped in. "Lieutenant Colonel, if there were to be an attack here, we could not insure the safety of these children as we've been ordered. They should return to the command center right away." I watched as she said all this with a stiff salute. This woman was starting to bother me. Children? Maybe in the eyes of the military, we were. However, if one were to look deep into our lives, were we really children? Children played outside with their friends and had birthday parties and sat with their families for dinner. Children didn't research for powerful, lost stones or suffer the loss of their parents or get metal parts attached to their nerves. By now, I was sick of people referring to me as a child. I was far from one. "As long as Scar remains at large, security of State Alchemists must be a top priority," she finally finished. I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"Well," Hughes reasoned, to my stubborn horror. "What I'd like to do is give you three extra protection, but with Scar running around and the fire, I've got too many men out hunting and replacing case files."

"Case files?" Ed asked.

"You mean the military records were in the first branch of the library?" I piped in. It seemed like a weird place to store them, but then again, they were secret files. Where better to store secret files than a place that was off limits to the majority of the public?

"Yeah," Hughes replied, frowning. "Suspect lists, crime scene logs, all of it…"

Without a word, I turned to look at Edward. He gave me the same smirk that I was giving him. We were definitely thinking the same thing. "Lieutenant Colonel?" I asked, getting his attention back. "You're in luck."

Giving Sheska the job was a great opportunity for everyone. She could replicate the military case files, and the Elrics and I could stay in the library with the extra protection that Hughes suggested. Ed and I shared a look of equal brilliance when the Lieutenant Colonel gave us permission to stay in the library. I laughed a bit and followed the man outside just before he left. "So," he began. "How are you, really, Maya?"

My smile faded a bit. I sighed. "Better than I was a couple years ago," I replied, though I knew he wanted a better answer than that. "I miss Nina. All the time, and Alexander too." I looked up, expecting to see the familiar look of pity. But that wasn't quite what Hughes' expression held. He knew me, knew that I hated being treated like a little girl. "But I like traveling with Ed and Al. I like feeling that the three of us can do something as amazing as possibly find the Philosopher's Stone."

He sat down on the wooden steps, and I joined him. "I can understand that," he replied, glancing up at the moon in the sky. "But I don't mean that. I mean, are you okay?"

This time, I didn't look back at him. "How would you be if you found out your dad murdered your mom and then tried to do the same to you?" I hadn't meant it to sound so harshly, but Hughes didn't respond right away. I bit my lip.

"In all honesty, I probably would have killed myself," he finally said.

It took me a bit by surprise, hearing him say that. It brought me back a few years, to the summer days I would stare out my window right after my mom had "disappeared" and wonder why she wouldn't come back or why I couldn't go out during the day with my friends anymore. "I thought about it more than once," I admitted. I hadn't meant to say it, even had denied the suicidal thoughts that had crossed my mind for years. "Only because at the time I thought that whatever the afterlife brought me would be happier than what my life did." He didn't look at me or say anything, just waited for me to continue. "But I couldn't. It wasn't for fear, but who would Nina have now if I hadn't lived for her? Who knows if she'd even be alive now?"

A moment of silence. A soft breeze blew through the town, and a cricket chirped a couple times somewhere in the distance before Hughes stood up from the steps. "I'm sorry," he said suddenly. Before I could ask why, he explained. "Sorry that you had to grow up in one night, that you became an orphan and the only mother Nina will probably ever fully remember." I stood up to go back inside, but caught Hughes' last words. "I can only wish my little girl will be as strong as you some day, even though I hope it won't have to be until she's much older than you were."

I smiled to myself and started walking up the stairs. "If Alicia ends up like me," I called, opening up the door. "Don't let anyone call her a child."

On the way inside, I passed Lieutenant Ross. By the look on her face, it seemed that she had heard what I said. I hoped she did.

Once back inside the house, a bunch of notepads and bound notebooks were shoved into my arms by Sheska. "I finished these for you," she said happily. "Only some of the books about the basic things, but I figured it would be good for you to get started with right away." I blinked and looked down at the pads, flipping through one of them with my fingertips. I saw chemical formulas and transmutation circles of all kinds scribbled onto the pages neatly.

My eyes lit up. "Thank you so much!" I cried, knowing this would be plenty for the next few days. I could get started while Ed and Al kept decoding Marcoh's book.

After getting back in the car once again, we were headed back to the library. Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Bloch sat up front, while the three of us took up the back. I rested my forehead against the window and stared out of it while we were driving with the recreated books in my lap. "So what are those for?" Ed asked me, gesturing to them.

I smiled and looked back at him, placing a hand on top of the pile. "All the basic principles of alchemy," I said. "Sheska wrote it all down for me, and she told me she wasn't even near finished yet."

My smile was returned. "Glad you're so interested in getting started with it again," he said.

I hesitated in replying for a moment, looking down at the books and flipping through the pages again, just to see it all. "Ed," I started. "I want to take the State Alchemy Exam next year."

His smile faded almost immediately. I had mentally prepared myself for him to explode when I told him, but to my surprise, he didn't. His fists clenched tightly on his knees, and Al spoke instead. "Maya, why would you want to do that?"

I turned to the suit of armor. "Why did you two do it?"

Ed answered in a dangerous tone. "We did it because we had no other choice."

"And you think I have a choice?"

Before Ed could answer, the car stopped in front of the library. I got out of the car immediately and slammed the door before either of them could make their way out. Clutching the books to my chest, I wrenched the door to the library open. Sergeant Bloch followed me. I could hear him calling my name, but I didn't respond, instead heading into a private room of the main building and slamming the door. I pressed in the lock with a free finger and spread the books out on the table.

For once, I was begging for the silence.


	8. Laboratory 5

The clock tower chimed in the morning. The panging sound jolted me awake after a few rounds, and I realized I had fallen asleep over the pile of alchemy books. My cheek had been pressed against a page that held a description on how lead could be changed into gold because of their similar chemical make-ups. Had I really been at the library all night? What about Edward and Alphonse? Were they-

"Maya!" I jumped as I heard Ed's voice through the door, only just hearing his persistent knocking. "Come on, open the door!" he called. I stood up from the table and turned the knob. The lock clicked open, and Ed shoved through the door.

For having been so eager to get into the room, the oldest Elric didn't do anything except make his way in and sit on the lone pulled out chair where I had been seconds before. He pressed his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. His golden eyes were pressed shut by his palms, and he sighed. I knew something was wrong. And having forgotten the bit of anger I had felt the night before, I asked, "What is it, Ed?"

"God must really hate people who go against him," was all he muttered. I was a bit taken aback. I never knew that Edward even believed there was such a thing. Then again, we had never really talked about it. I wasn't even sure if I did. "I was eleven years old then, and he still has me marked. "Every time I'm close to reaching it, he pulls it away, making me fall on my face. Then when I finally have my fist around it, he raises his big, obnoxious foot and kicks me in the teeth."

I watched him thoughtfully, slowly making my way over and pulling another chair out from the table. I sat down so that I faced him. "Edward," I cooed, waiting for him to luck up again. "God didn't make the Philosopher's Stone." I assumed that was what he was talking about. What else could it be? He desired nothing else so much as the thing. "He doesn't exist to torture humanity." Of course I was going to start to ramble about something I barely knew of, but I did have a feeling that it would make sense. "Why create something just to see it crash and burn? I'm pretty sure there's something about the forgiveness of sins in the religion of Ishval." He didn't respond to any of it, so I changed the subject. "What happened?"

"The Philosopher's Stone," he replied after a moment, still not able to raise his eyes to meet mine. "The last ingredient listed; it's live human sacrifices."

For a moment, my breath caught in my throat. The emptiness in my stomach suddenly swelled, and I felt sick. It made me lower my gaze to the floor too. I understood why he had been so upset. But weren't we being a bit naïve? To believe that there was only one specific way to create something would have been ignorant. "You don't think there's another way?" I asked, clenching my fists and trying not to imagine having to kill humans to complete the red water's formation into a real Philosopher's Stone. "Why would Marcoh have told you where to find his research then? Did he really think you and Al would be able to create the stone, based on what he had found out?"

Edward heaved a long sigh and leaned back in the chair. "After so long, after years, I finally thought I had it. I got my hopes up so much when Sheska recreated the book and we decoded it that I even exploded at Al just now. I feel like an idiot."

I smiled a bit. "If Al held it against you every time you yelled at him, you two wouldn't be nearly as close to each other as you are," I reasoned. "I'm sure he understands more than anyone how much you wanted to find the stone. Hell, his humanity depends on it-"

"Which is why I feel like such a bastard!" he cried, covering his face with his palms again. His jacket and gloves were off now, and I could see his muscles become more defined as his body tensed with stress.

I looked away from him. "How about you just calm down for now?" I asked. "At least until tonight when we can all get a good night's sleep." He didn't move or respond to me. I bit my bottom lip with uncertainty. What else could I say to make him feel better? He couldn't just give up, not like that.

"Yeah," was all he said, placing his hands back in his lap.

"Ed, I-"

A knock at the door cut me off. I cursed in my mind, another nerve twitching at Lt. Ross' horrible timing. She opened the door and walked in with breakfast for the both of us. A brown, very broth-filled soup and some bread with glasses of milk. She never asked about how the research was going, and we never thanked her for the meal. As Ed swiveled the brown stew around with his spoon, I picked apart the bread and ate it in small pieces.

If the Lieutenant hadn't entered the room at that moment, what would I have said to him?

"Why don't you keep looking?" I asked. "We can keep searching for it together, and not worry about the end result." He looked up at me suddenly, with something held in he golden gaze that I had not looked deep enough to see before. "Think of it as reading a book with a lot of twists," I continued. "Just because you get angry and stop reading it, doesn't change the way it's going to end. You might as well finish it, just to know for the hell of it. Don't you think?"

After a moment, a smile snuck onto his face. "Maybe," he said. "Just to know the tru-" He cut himself off then, and to my surprise, fished something out of his pocket. "The truth…" he trailed off. I got up and walked behind him, seeing the note that Marcoh had left Edward. _The genuine truth behind truths._ "There's still something more!" he cried, throwing himself up from the chair and running out of the room into the one next door he had shared with Alphonse the night before. I smiled a little and walked into the room with them. When I did, he had a map unfolded on the table. He and Al were looking over it, scanning the page.

Pointing at a schematic marked '5th Laboratory', Ed noted the prison that was right next-door. According to Lt. Ross and Sgt. Bloch, the building had been shut down years before. "If people is the main ingredient in a Philosopher's Stone," I started. "Then why not use people scheduled to be executed anyway, people no one would miss?"

"Exactly," Ed said, his eyes gleaming down at the red-colored building on the map. It was like a treasure we had just found. "Who was running this laboratory?"

Ross answered, "The Brigadier General, but he was killed by Scar."

Edward fell into thought, and I looked over at Alphonse. "What do you think, Brother?" he asked.

"There's no choice. What do you say we go check it out ourselves?"

My lips twitched. Finally, something adventurous that I had been looking for. What was more dangerous than sneaking into an abandoned building said to be full of experimental prisoners, not to mention where it was illegal to do so?

"Now hold on a minute," snapped the Lieutenant. "This is grown-ups' work now, besides Scar's loose. You can't just go strolling around Central." My excitement fizzled immediately. Grown-ups' work? Two more sentences like that, and I was going to punch the woman in the jaw. Of course, I was not moronic enough to think that Edward Elric would just sit inside a library while military personnel went looking for _his_ Philosopher's Stone, even when he decided that he couldn't argue with the Lieutenant. He didn't have to.

Slinging the rope Edward had created over the windowsill, I made sure it was tightly secured before any of us started scaling down the wall. I went first, tying my hands with pieces of the cloth napkins that had been given with our dinner to avoid my hands getting burned from the rope. Ed and Al made their ways down after me, and they led the way to the lab through the darkened streets of Central. Even though I was with the both of them, I couldn't help but get the chills when we reached the place. The city was so quiet at this time of night that it seemed abandoned, and anything we heard that sounded abnormal made me jump.

"For an abandoned facility, security's pretty tight around here," Ed said as we reached the front gate of Laboratory 5. We had noticed the trip wires on the ground sticking out of the dirt. The gleaming moonlight gave them away. "Let's try around back!"

The back of the place was a bit simpler, but there was still barbed wire at the top of the cement wall. After Al lifted Ed up to move the stuff, he gave me a boost high enough so I could jump onto the wall without having the climb the barbed wire using bare hands. However, I still caught my hip on a piece of the stuff, still remaining in the cropped top Winry had borrowed me. I hissed in a breath as it sliced at my waist, only drawing a little bit of blood. I hopped over before Alphonse climbed up and landed beside me.

Running to the side of the building, we hit a barricade in front of the door and instead had to use a vent to get inside. Ed climbed up onto Al's shoulder and lifted the grate off the shaft, climbing into it. "You wait here, Al, we're not going to get your big, metal body into this vent."

Just as I climbed up onto Al's shoulder, I heard him whimper a bit. "You know it's not my fault I'm big."

I laughed. "Bigger is better, Alphonse."

After a few minutes of crawling, the vents turned out to be smaller than originally planned. "See, it really is a good thing I'm so small- NO IT'S NOT!"

"Ed!" I cried in a whisper. "Stop talking to yourself, and keep crawling!"

He glared back at me. "If you were listening, then I wasn't talking to myself."

I rolled my eyes as we continued through the vent, eventually hitting a grate that Ed could kick in himself. He jumped down into a hallway with no windows and only lit with green lamps that ran low enough on the wall to only see one's foot placements on the floor. I jumped down next to him and looked around.

Edward grabbed my hand and continued forward, but before we had each taken two steps, we were suddenly stepping on all sorts of traps. Steel spikes shot out from the ceiling, nearly pinning us to the ground by our insides. Then, a side of the wall opened up to a large blade we had to dodge, and more spikes shot out from the side wall. Lastly, a trap door opened in the floor, leading to more sharpened spikes ready to pulverize the both of us. "Someone sure likes the messy way out!" I cried, climbing up out of the trap.

However, Ed just laughed. "For them to go to all this trouble, they must have something they really don't want to be seen." I grabbed his arm and pulled him up out of the trap. "I just love being right!"

Just then, his hand pressed down on another tile. I groaned. What next? I quickly glanced around, expecting knives to shoot out from a hidden wall or something. But instead, a low rumbling was coming from a distance, and it was coming from behind us. I was afraid to look, but did so just in time to see a large, cement ball rolling toward us. It's area filled the entire hallway, and it would definitely flatten us both. Ed grabbed my arm and dragged me up, and the two of us ran down the dimly lit hall, trying to find any direction to turn. I could feel beads of sweat starting to form on my forehead. It had been a while since I had been so close to death, and I wasn't yet used to the feeling. The rush of adrenaline was nice to experience again, but it was hard to form a solution in my mind, until I noticed a crucial detail in the construction of the place.

The laboratory hallways were square. We were being chased by a circle, to put it in simple terms. "Ed!" I cried. "Drop onto the floor, and lay in a corner!"

"What!" he screamed. "Are you crazy? Lay on the ground?"

"IN A CORNER!"

With that, I dropped onto the floor as stiff as I could and rolled into the corner of the hallway. I heard Edward grunt as he did the same and shut my eyes tightly, listening to the growl of the giant sphere grow louder and louder until it passed us both. After a moment, it crashed into something that neither of us could see. I heaved a sigh of relief and rolled onto my back on the ground. "Edward Elric…" I began, speaking in between breaths. "I am never going into an abandoned building with you again."

He also rolled onto his back and turned his head to face me with a chuckle. The both of us stood up and dusted ourselves off. "Damn it," he said. "Enough is enough!" Edward brought his hands together and knelt down to the ground again. Within seconds, the entire hallway was lit up. I even had to shield my eyes for a moment in order for them to adjust. At least it allowed the two of us to locate a decent door.

However, walking through it didn't entirely lead us anywhere. I looked around the next room, which was as equally dark as the first hallway had been. When I took a step forward, my foot hit something that rolled on the ground. As I looked down, I noticed that it was a skull. A chill ran up my spine, seeing all the other skeletal parts of bodies laying around the chamber.

"Nice of you to come," a voice startled Edward and me. We both turned to see a man walking toward us and drawing a sword. He wore plenty of armor, even a helmet with a bandana in front to shield his face. I didn't recognize it as any uniform of some sort. Still, it looked official, and the sword he unsheathed shone brightly in a slit of the moonlight that pierced the walls. "Graciously do I welcome you here."

Edward, sensing the sarcasm, responded. "Really, you don't look too welcoming with that sword."

Playful banter, I noticed. A little bit of sarcasm followed by an introduction was ultimately necessary before the actual fighting started. As subtly as he could, Ed got in front of me, for I had no weapon to fight with. I was still practicing basic alchemy. There was no way I could use it to defend myself in an actual battle with an expert, which was what this man seemed to be. "Be careful," I muttered in Ed's ear. He nodded, ever so slightly, just to let me know that he heard.

"Do not think ill of me, Child," the man said, raising his sword.

"And you don't think ill of me for being the child who defeated you," Ed retorted. "How about a little blade on blade?"

Barely without warning, the armored man charged. I dove out of the way just in time to avoid getting sliced by either of their weapons. When I was able to get behind the two of them, I made eye contact with Ed just for a moment before going further into the laboratory. There must have been something worthwhile he was guarding if he was willing to kill both Ed and me over it. Too bad he was busy focusing only on one of two targets.

I had gone on ahead into the next hallway, hoping Ed was all right. Of course, there was not much I could have done to help him. It probably would have been a better idea if I had stayed back at the library. But there were things I wanted to know too, and I was in this with them for the long run. While I was training to do alchemy, I could at least get a weapon of some sort to defend myself in times like this.

When I came to a certain hallway, I noticed at the end of it stood multiple beings. I could hardly see them in the dark, but they walked on all fours. The creatures walked in a circle, and their eyes glowed yellow in the black of the night. I remained around the corner, thinking of a way I could get around them. However, there were no openings in the hallway to get around. "_If I could just draw a transmutation circle with something,_" I thought. "_I could make more openings in the wall to get through._"

A hand on my shoulder, and I nearly screamed. The white-gloved palm found its way around my mouth before I could make too much noise, however. I narrowed my eyes as Ed turned me around, ready to take my anger out on him before I noticed that he was carrying the helmet of the man that had challenged him. I would have asked why, had it not been for the fact that the beasts from the circle were now charging at the two of us.

Blood spattered from Ed's quick attack on the chimera made it fall to the ground, suddenly lifeless. Both of us were ready to take on more, but a piercing sound made them suddenly halt. I could see them better now. They appeared to be like wolves, but with multicolored fur. Different animals combined together using alchemy was what they were.

My eyes narrowed at them. Why would they have stopped so abruptly? Was it just because of the noise? Maybe it was a whistle of some sort. "The chimera have their master, the one who created them." I started just as the helmet Ed held could still talk. Though it did make sense now that the man was like Alphonse, only a soul attached to metal. It was the only explanation. In truth, I pitied the thing…

Though the loud, echoing sound of slow footsteps distracted me from my thoughts. I had thought humans could only create chimera, only alchemists. But when I caught sight of what was making the sound, I glanced at Ed with confusion. It was a chimera. Of which two animals, I was not sure. But I knew it was. How could a chimera itself create others, unless…?

My breath caught in my chest for a moment. I could have sworn that my heart skipped several beats, as I stood frozen. The chimera turned its head to face us, and my stomach lurched. The blue eyes that had once been kind and always hid behind glasses shifted to look straight at me. A glare of insanity now took that place. Something that I had not felt in over three years hit me at that point. It was a fear that made my blood run cold, made the perspiration become present on my face and my adrenaline spike to its highest point. Shou Tucker, my father, stared me right in the face, with a discreet yet crazy smile etched onto his thin lips. And the voice, the soft voice that had told me stories at night back when my mother was alive was now reduced to a lowly whisper that made the back of my neck prickle.

"My sweet Maya… How you've grown."

|| Edward ||

He looked over at her, the eldest daughter of Tucker. It had been years since Edward had seen that look of terror on her face, and a part of him ached to see her smile replace that look once again. Faster than he imagined he could, Edward dropped the helmet of #48 and caught Maya before she hit the cold stone on the ground, having gone into shock and fainted. His arms wrapped around her even before Tucker could take a step forward. "Don't you go near her!" Ed snapped, grinding his teeth in anger. "How are you even here? The military said you were executed!"

The severed helmet answered for him. "My brother and I were filed as executed when we were still alive. Why does it surprise you that another prisoner is still living here as a chimera?"

Ed shook his head vigorously. "I'm not talking about that!" he shouted. "I'm talking about her, and Nina." A sickening gasp parted his breath. "Your daughter was half-dead because of you, and you killed your own wife! How could they have let you live?" His words shot from his mouth without him even looking up from the girl in his arms.

"I know how you must feel right now, Edward, but please let me explain."

Edward did his best to steady his breathing, unknowingly curling his fingers in Amaya's cocoa hair. Not wanting to leave her, he picked her up in his arms and carried the helmet of #48 in the clenched fist of his right hand. He reluctantly followed Tucker into his part of the lab, where it was still filled with cages and animal parts in jars. However, it looked nothing like the basement of the mansion. There were no bloody transmutation circles on the walls, and the beasts of chimeras were silent, tamed. Edward tightened his grip around Amaya.

"There's something you're not telling me," he said. "You're a chimera, but you're not like those other wild animals. You've kept all your intelligence from when you were human. What kind of alchemist has that power? Dr. Marcoh? Or is it someone else?" The Sewing Life Alchemist gave him no answer at first, only gave Edward a sly smile that just pissed him off even more. "Tell me Tucker; who the hell's running this place!"

A glimmer in the chimera's eyeglasses, and Ed turned around. Curtains were shielding something that stood behind them. He turned back to Tucker, whose smile had faltered. "Please don't look at them Ed. They're shy."

Disobeying his plea, Ed placed Amaya- regrettably- down on the ground. She was propped up against the lab table. God forbid she awoke in this place, he thought. Nonetheless, Ed forced himself to leave her behind and pull back the curtains. Horror and confusion aroused his senses, for he was suddenly staring in the face of- "Amaya?" But he turned. She was sitting right there. She was alive, and so was Nina. Yet there were two copies of their faces, staring straight back at him from enormous canisters of some sort of formula. They were chimeras. How Tucker had managed to form them, Edward had no idea. But in the third vat, there was one with the face of a young woman. She had high cheekbones and dark blue eyes, the same as Amaya's. Her hair was short but attractively curled, reaching about shoulder length. And it was black, so black that it almost appeared blue.

Suddenly, Edward was drawn back to over three years ago, sitting in the library while Amaya read and Nina drew her pictures. He remembered her picking up the black crayon to shade in the hair and even the blue for the eyes. His own golden orbs widened as Edward realized he was staring into the face of their mother. "You still haven't figured out how to do a human transmutation, so you made a chimera that looks like her, that looks like all of them."

"I'm almost there," the chimera said, his voice dripping with desire. "Almost." He stalked over to a double door and pressed his beast-like hands against them and pushed them open. Ed gasped and sprinted into the next room. There were at least five or six tanks of red water in the room. Turning the faucet of one of them, a few drops fell onto the ground and hardened to form a stone.

"This is the same stuff that Marcoh had," he observed with disbelief. "This is the incomplete Philosopher's Stone."

"Yes, it's incomplete, but it's still extremely powerful." The beast's smile returned. "If this amount of unfinished material could be carefully refined, you could make a true Philosopher's Stone. This is what you've been looking for, Edward. Many have tried, but no one has ever succeeded before. It's impossible to ask for some ordinary alchemist."

|| Amaya ||

I could feel the cold floor beneath me, could hear the shuffles of creatures around me. However, I still did not want to open my eyes. I knew exactly where I was. It had taken me a moment to regain composure after realizing my father was alive, but I did. I stood up, bracing myself along the laboratory table, only to look into my own eyes. I saw the vats of liquid, saw the chimeras inside them. I saw my face, my eyes, even my hair. And I saw an exact copy of Nina but with a chimera's body. And then, finally, I stared at the last tank. After a moment of more shock, I bravely brought my fingers up to it, just out of reach of my own mother's face. Her navy eyes were empty, with no soul shining through them. It was the one thing that let me keep myself sane after seeing her face again.

This was a chimera, not my mother. It would never have my mother's soul. It would never smile like her or laugh like she did. If anything, it would die first before it was unlucky enough to live out the life of the pitiful beasts that my father had locked up in our old basement. With shaky breaths, I tore my eyes away, drawing the curtains over her again. If I allowed myself to think anything about her was real, I would go insane.

So I made my way to the next room, where Edward stood with what was left of my father. I did not allow myself to look at him, though I knew he stared at me with what he would consider love. But I had none left for him. I knew I never would. Without even having to speak, I made my way over to Ed, who in turn took my hand and pulled me to him. Momentarily, I was taken back to the night we had been at the Rockbells', talking in the hall the night before I was to leave with them. When he pulled away, I did not want to, and when he faced my father, I stared at the crimson bubbles that formed in the tanks filled with red water.

"But you see Tucker," I heard him mutter with sly confidence. He too stared with me at the tank of the liquid Philosopher's Stone and then at the transmutation circle drawn on the floor of the entire room. "I am no ordinary alchemist."


	9. Love: Its Consequences

A bright light, and an explosion. One minute, I was sitting there with Ed. My eyes were wide and burning with fatigue while the two of us stared at open books about the reports given in Laboratory 5 when it was still openly active. The next, dust clouded my vision, and I coughed to avoid inhaling it. Edward did too, and the air slowly began to clear from the collapse of the wall opposite us. Rubble was strewn all over the floor, and I realized that I had been thrown several feet back from the force of the explosion. There was no evidence of what had caused it, only the aftermath of the event. And after the dust clouds cleared from the air, I realized my vision was still a bit blurry, with black protruding from the corners. Slowly, I willed myself not to be knocked out from it, and looked over at Ed, who seemed unharmed from it. I exhaled my relief.

"Maya," he suddenly muttered, and came over to where I sat. "Are you all right?"

I furrowed my brows a bit. "Yeah," I answered. "I think so."

But Ed shook his head and touched his flesh, index fingertip to my forehead. I hissed and instinctively pulled away, feeling a sting that increased the blurriness of my eyesight. "Sorry," he muttered, and I looked back to see the blood that now stained his skin and dripped from the tip of his nail. A piece of stone must have hit me in the midst of the wall's destruction. I pressed my palm to the right of my forehead where the source of the bleeding was to try to get it to stop, or at least slow.

"What the hell was that?" I didn't receive an answer, only looked up to see a little over a dozen men in handcuffs and the same thin clothes sitting in a group, staring back at Ed and me. "They're prisoners." I recalled the map schematic, where the prison was built right next to Laboratory 5.

"Why didn't you tell me they were here?" Ed shouted, turning toward my father. "If I would have performed the transmutation of the stone without knowing, I could have…" he trailed off in sudden realization. Meanwhile, I looked at the prisoners. Of course. They had been sent here to be executed for the purpose of the Philosopher's Stone. But if that was the plan, then who blew the wall open? And how did they get here? "Alright, listen up!" Ed said, standing up. Carefully, I stood up from the ground too, using the wall to keep my balance. "Who brought you here?"

"I did."

The Brigadier General stood in the opening on the opposite side of the room. "I personally requested their transfer here from the prison next door, and what are you doing here, Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Confusion hit like a hammer to a nail. That was impossible. The Brigadier General had been killed, or at least that's what Ed had told me. Yet he was here. Or maybe someone was just trying to make us all think he was here. Within a second, Edward charged across the room, metallic fist raised. However, Gramm- quickly taking on a completely different form, backed out of the way just in time. "What gave me away?" The new voice was lighter, nearly feminine but definitely still male. Green spikes for hair jutted out in all directions as the younger man appeared.

"Brigadier General Gramm was killed by scar. I had a front row seat," snarled Ed through gritted teeth. "Who are you?"

"Well that depends," claimed the man- if that was what he was. "I can be whoever you want. So who would you like, Mr. Fullmetal Pipsqueak? Maybe a taller version of you?" Before Ed's temper could even take control, he was knocked to the ground: punched and round-kicked. I cringed and took a step forward, only to have my arm forcibly grabbed by my father's newly acquired claw. "Do you have any idea who you're trying to pick a fight with here?" the man continued, leaving me to look away after he kicked Ed once and twice more. "The only reason why I haven't killed you yet is because we were ordered not to, but I can never forgive you. And there will never be a time when I'll be able to forgive you- for carrying that bastard's blood in your veins!"

Before aiming for another kick, a second new voice came in. "Envy." So that was the creature's name? Envy? He seemed to respond to it. I looked over to see a woman standing in the entrance to the room. She was…attractive. Long black waves fell down her back, all the way down to below her waist. Her lips were colored blood red, and her skin was pale. Her eyes seemed as black as her hair and the dress and gloves that she wore. Just the one word she spoke was enough to hear the entirety of the seductiveness of her voice. She was quite mysterious; I was almost jealous. She turned to look at Ed after picking up the lone helmet that still was able to speak. "If you don't want to suffer anymore physical punishment, then I suggest you get on with the transmutation. We've had a minor setback, but the ingredients are still fresh."

"You want him to use the convicts to make a Philosopher's Stone?" I questioned, unable to sit by. I wrenched my hand out of my father's grip, trying to avoid him even placing a finger on me anymore. The woman was already making her way toward me before I spoke again. "Human transmutation goes against the laws of nature; that's why it never works!" I was barely able to finish my sentence before her fingertips were around my throat, her nails scratching at the skin, eager to cut it.

"Human transmutation is different when dealing with the Philosopher's Stone, smart one," she cooed, her lips curving just a bit as she did. "People in the past have just been too weak to take the number of lives necessary to make one."

"What makes you think I'll do what you say?" Ed cried. "Especially if you hurt her!"

If anything, the woman's lips curved even more. "I don't believe you have a choice in the matter." Just as she spoke, I saw Alphonse- or what was left of him- being dragged into the chamber. Both the arms and legs of the suit of armor were missing, rendering him unable to move. "Do it, or we'll show you what happens to a blood seal when you do this." Hooking her arm around my neck, she held up the helmet in her left hand, scratching at its seal a bit with her nail before her fingers suddenly turned into daggers. The metal shattered, and the life attached to it was silent. She dropped it, and the clang of the steel on the ground echoed throughout the silent room.

"We had a deal." I looked over at my father as he spoke, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the woman holding me in a death grip. I would not have paid much attention, would not have cared much for their "deal" if she hadn't reluctantly handed me over to him. His claws wrapped around my wrist once again, and I immediately started to struggle to get away.

"Can't even handle your own daughter, Tucker?" I heard the one called Envy ask with a chuckle. As he started approaching, I finally was able to slip my wrist through my father's grip yet again. I curled my hand into a fist and aimed for Envy's throat, but I wasn't quick enough. He grabbed my wrist, mid-punch, and swung my arm far behind my back and forced me onto my knees. "Stubborn little brat," he muttered, before aiming a direct hit at my jaw.

|| Edward ||

"I told you not to hurt her!" he snarled. But he knew it would be in vain to object as Maya fell to the ground. He still had Alphonse to worry for. "Don't you take her, Tucker, you've got a perfectly good copy!" He stood up from the ground, only to be knocked back onto it by Envy.

"Yes, Edward," whispered the chimera. "But I'm sure you of all people would understand that the original is far better than any copy. I'll just have to come back for my wife."

"Brother!" called Alphonse. Edward was conflicted, wanting to protect Maya. But his brother was in trouble too, and he did not want to have to choose between the two. If these people so much as touched Al's blood seal, he was gone. Yet Ed wasn't sure how far Tucker would go to truly get his perfect daughters back. If it meant that Maya wasn't good enough anymore, and he had to get rid of her to start over again, he would. But maybe, maybe if he let her go, he could save Alphonse and then go after her fast enough to save her too. Maybe. "These people," he heard his brother shout. "They're homunculi!"

And Edward's face snapped up. "Homunculi?" He looked at the attractive woman with a divine smirk, and the man who stood over Maya's unconscious body.

"It's true Edward," muttered Tucker, bending his knees to pick Maya up off the ground. Oh, how Ed wanted to object. He wanted to take her from the chimera and just run. But he could never leave Al, and even if his brother could move, none of them would make it out without a fight. "Artificial humans with the memories of the ones they replaced during a human transmutation. In exchange for you two, I get my Maya back and the secret of how to create a homunculus, so I can bring back Nina and their mother."

Fury was boiling up inside Edward. "How could you want to bring them back without their soul? Nina's still alive! And their mom is gone!"

"But I have remnants of their souls, Edward; it's all in my head, all the memories I have of them. I can implant them in the minds to create a more perfect family than I ever had before."

The volcano inside him erupted. "IT STILL WON'T BE REAL!"

Envy, without hesitation, took a fistful of force to his jaw. "That's enough chit-chat, Pipsqueak. I suggest you get going on those transmutations. You can start by fixing the ceiling."

Still, Edward refused to go down, though he was confined to his knees and staring after Tucker as he began to walk away. Over his arm, he could see Maya's hair strewn, and blood dripped from where her head remained cracked. He could see the bits of it, making a path on the concrete floor. Tucker was oblivious to it, and let the stream of crimson liquid continue to flow. "I'm sorry," he muttered, desperately. "I'm so sorry."

|| Amaya ||

I moved. First my fingertips, then my head, which responded with severe throbs. Though the black began to disappear from my view, it lingered in the corners of my eyes. I was moving, but I wasn't standing. And then I felt the fur of the chimera, my father, against my exposed skin. He was carrying me. I quickly shut my eyes and stopped moving, having noticed that I was not the only thing in his arms. Nina, or what was the replica of her, sat staring blankly at me in his grasp. I couldn't look. I wouldn't dare. Seeing the lifeless face put too many horrible thoughts into my mind. And I dared to look to my left, to see where I was, how far my father had gotten with me out of the red water chamber.

The green lamps that lit the floor of the hallway of Laboratory 5 were visible. So we had not yet left the place. I waited for a moment, formulating a plan in my mind, anticipating the different ways that it could go. On the floor of the hall, there were stones, very sharp ones. When drawing, rock can be used as both the ink and the paper. I took my chance, bringing my left arm up as hard as I could into my father's jaw. For it not being my dominant hand, it only made him stagger a bit, but it gave me the chance to jump down from his grip.

And then I ran back a few feet. If I just ran back the way we came, he would just come after me again. I was going to make sure there was no way through to his copy of me, or to my mother. He deserved to experience the loss over and over again, just as I had. So I grabbed a stone from the floor and dragged it against the wall, making as good of a transmutation circle as I could. "Amaya," he whispered savagely. "What are you doing!"

"You don't deserve the perfect family," I said with a spark of venom in my voice. "I'm going to make sure you never get it."

He took a step forward, but I placed my hand on the transmutation circle. It glowed a bright blue, my own alchemic power surging through it. "You never liked obeying your father," I heard him say.

As the wall directly in front of him cracked and molded, the rock closing the way between us, I stopped it long enough to say, "You are not my father."

The rock shot across the length of the hallway, creating a large wall between the two of us. I increased the thickness as much as I could, molding the rock just how I wanted it. It had been the first time that I tried alchemy, and I had expected it to be easier. My energy was depleted, having to move so much stone on the first try. Still, I didn't bother rest there. I bolted back the opposite way, trying to find my way through toward the red chamber. I went through the large doors into the room where Ed had fought the man in the armored suit. The remains of the thing lay shattered on the ground, and I leapt over them quickly, going through the opposite door and then continuing down the hall again. I passed the dead chimera on the ground, accidentally stepping in the pool of blood beside it.

At last, I saw it, the glow of red that emanated through the stone hall, guiding my way to the end. "Edward!" I called, instinctively. When I didn't receive an answer, I called again, raising my voice. I entered the lab, where it was empty, save for the vats containing the chimera that looked like my mother and me. Before I could avoid the gaze, I saw my mother's soulless eyes. The threat of my father had been lifted. My adrenaline rush had gone, and now I just stood weak, with my mind slowing down enough to comprehend what exactly I was seeing. She was nearly perfect. She was almost there. My hand instinctively reached up to touch the glass, where I knew she was still so far away.

And then I fell to my knees. The concrete ground cut through them instantly, bringing blood to the surface to soak where I knelt. An incredible sob escaped my throat, and my shoulders shook. Tears made trails on my cheeks and mixed with my own blood that still leaked from my forehead before they fell onto the ground. I sobbed louder. The volume of the pounding of my head increased at the same rate. I felt like if I sat there and cried long enough that I would eventually lose the ability to do it, that I would lose the ability to feel anything at all. "If he had just used me first," I muttered out loud. "You would still be here. You would be able to take care of Nina, better than I ever could."

"Amaya." I turned sharply, only to look straight into the eyes of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. He looked at me, and then up at the tank that held my mother's chimera. A flash of recognition went through his eyes, and he pulled me away from it. I fell against the dark blue uniform with my arms wrapped tightly around him, and he held my head so that I remained pressed against his chest to shield me from seeing her stare at me for any longer. "You're going to be all right." His voice rang lightly into my ears as the Lt. Colonel lifted me up off the ground, as if I were as light as Alicia. "Don't cry for her," he continued. "She doesn't have to live through what you do."

- - - x - - -

Outside, the air was easier to breathe, and the sun shone bright in the sky while the clouds drifted by it. I appreciated the heat and the moments of shade that came along with the day's weather. It reminded me of being back in Risembool, outside with Nina and Alexander. I had been trying not to let myself think about the things that had happened in Laboratory 5, repressing them back to the furthest depths of my mind. After all, my wounds from the place had faded. My memories of it could too.

"Mind if I join you?" I turned to see Hughes standing beside me. Without a word, I nodded. He sat down in the grass too. "You know, you should be inside resting." He was referring to the hospital that Ed, Al, and I had been transferred to. I shrugged.

"They told me I could come out for a little while to get fresh air. I was begging for it." Not entirely, but I refused to lie down in my bed, only staring out the window at the open grass and thinking about being outside. After an hour or so of it, a nurse gave in and escorted me out. I was sure she was still waiting at the entrance for me to come back.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Ed told me about what happened," he admitted. "I want you to know that I had no idea that Shou was kept alive-"

"I know," I interrupted him. "You would have told me."

He paused again, letting another moment go by before sighing. "I've talked with Gracia," he said. "We both wanted to ask you if it was alright if we took Nina and Alexander in with us." I looked over at him, a bit stunned. "You would be closer to her then, and maybe it would seem like she had a family to fit in with- not that Winry and her grandmother don't make the perfect family."

"You would do that?" I asked, still looking at him. "You don't have to."

"We want to," he replied, leaning back on his hands. "It's the least we can do for the two of you after what you've been through. Why not make the burden easier on you? Nina will be closer, and you won't have to worry so much. You don't have to do everything on your own, Maya, even without them." I knew he was referring to my parents, and I also knew he was right. I nodded a bit, and gave him a smile of approval. "Good," he said. "Because they're already on the train with Winry here. She has to do some repairs on Ed's arm anyway."

- - - x - - -

Hughes walked me inside, to Ed and Al's room, figuring I'd feel less lonely in there. I had to admit that seeing Ed would be nice, after everything. He knocked on the door and walked in. I followed behind him, immediately going to the bed next to Ed and sitting cross-legged on it. The bandages on my knees stretched a bit as I did. Winry was there too, and I swore she looked upset before turning to introduce herself to Hughes. I looked between Ed and Al; neither of them looked at each other. I expected them to be talking, at least, thankful they were both still alive. I was, after all.

It wasn't two minutes before Hughes began to fret over Alicia. Before the rest of us knew it, he was dragging Winry off to meet her. "Tell her I said hi," I called before they left. I was planning to go over there later anyway, once the hospital let me out. Nina and Alexander were already at the house. I was going to go the next day for Alicia's birthday party.

Once they left, it was extremely quiet, which made me irritable. "Once again, I owe you two," I said, trying to start a conversation. Ed looked intrigued by my words, but Al didn't even move. "You saved my ass. Again." Neither of them said anything, and one of the hospital nurses came in. Al asked to be put on the roof. I frowned. What was his problem?

"Don't even say that," muttered Ed, causing me to look away from the door back at him. "I let Tucker carry you off without a word."

I chewed my bottom lip. "You were worried about Alphonse. Despite the fact that he's a big hunk of metal, he's more fragile than I-"

"Don't call him that!"

I blinked. I had never heard Ed snap like that before. His fist clenched right after he did, and he looked away from me again. I looked down at the ground, not really knowing what to say after that. "Sorry," was all I could come up with. I hadn't meant it as an insult, as if that's all that Al was. I knew he was human, that he was real. I knew it more than anyone! I had stared at my soulless mother right in the face. And I said all of that to Edward. I noticed him flinch, and then another moment of silence. "I was just trying to say that you made the right choice, letting me go," I explained, a bit softer. "My chance of surviving was higher."

"Your chance of survival was worth nothing if you disobeyed him," he retorted. "And who wouldn't, after what he put you through? He would have killed you the second he knew you wouldn't be the perfect daughter for him." My breath caught in my throat, and I shuddered at the thought. I stood up from the bed, not wanting to sit down. Edward stood up too, not entirely finished trying to talk to me. "You're selling yourself short," he continued. "Al's my brother, and I'd do anything for him." He paused for another moment after that, standing behind me as I looked out the door to the hallway, nearly heading there. I thought it best he didn't see me right now, and that he didn't want to. "But choosing between the two of you, which one to save and which to risk being killed, it was almost impossible. And now Al must hate me because in the end I couldn't go through with it!" I heard his voice crack, and it nearly made me lose my breath again. "Damn it, he's worth all of the lives of those prisoners to me, and I still couldn't do it!"

I turned around, shocked to see the crystal tears that formed two distinct trails down his face. Brushing my fingertips against them, I tried to tell him it was okay. But he never let me speak. "And then Tucker, he just walked away with you, beaten and bleeding and knocked out in his arms like that. He never once tried to protect you, and I thought… I thought…" He grabbed my wrist then, and all I could do was listen. "I thought he would let you die, just keep walking as you lost too much blood and then not even noticed when you slipped away. And I wouldn't have even known it either. If he had gotten away with you, I never would have known where you went!"

"Edward…" I said, trailing off. What was I supposed to say? Moreover, what did he _want_ me to say? I wished I knew. I wished I knew what to tell him to make the tears stop. But I didn't. Instead I just kept wiping them away, as if that would be enough. "You could have followed the blood."

He froze, looking back at me with wide eyes that showed horror in them. I hated that look, and I hated the gasping breath that came with it. Nonetheless, he was the one suddenly holding me close, when I should have been trying to comfort him. His flesh arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me in. I didn't even try to object. "I would have been too afraid to see what was at the end of it," he muttered. "I would have turned back, and you would have been lost." I listened to the pounding of his heart as he spoke. It was fast, matching his upset breathing. "If there's one thing I know for sure about my plan for the future," he said, and I realized his lips were against my bangs, only brushing my forehead. "It's that I intend to have you and Al in it. I can't lose you."

|| Edward ||

He heard her gasp, her the catching of it in her throat. His own pulse raced, having quickened from his believing the worst-case scenario. But it was true. Ed had been so close to letting Maya disappear. He regretted the decision, only because he was supposed to be stronger than that. He was supposed to be able to do anything. He was the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was superior, and Edward knew that if anything like Laboratory 5 happened again, he would know how to save both of them: his brother and Maya, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

And then he pulled his lips away from her forehead suddenly, causing her to look up. Without entirely knowing what she would do, Edward grazed his lips against hers. Just like that, he was brought back to over three years ago, how she had kissed him at Yoki's mansion as a form of gratitude. He recalled the texture of her lips and recognized it now. When Amaya didn't pull back, he pressed harder. An unfamiliar feeling shot through him, like an electric wave that went down his spine and throughout his entire body. She kissed him back, and Edward nearly staggered when she wrapped her arms around his neck. But still he stayed close, trying to make it last. Though they were so still, there was nothing else needed to say what he wanted to, and he hoped what she was trying to as well.

Then he pulled back, just at the same time as she did. Not entirely away from her, but just enough so he could regulate his breathing. Maya did the same, and he felt her warm breath scale across his lips. He would have kissed her again, and wanted to. But something he saw just in time made him stop: the flash of blonde hair, whipping behind Winry's back as she bolted from the doorway.


End file.
